The PGA Tour stays in the southwest of the United States, traveling from Louisiana to Texas for the annual Byron Nelson event in the metro Dallas area.
Contested for the fifth year at TPC Craig Ranch, The CJ Cup Byron Nelson field will be headlined by a trio of Texans in Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, and Will Zalatoris.
With (Korean-based conglomerate) CJ Group as the title sponsor, the field will also feature a handful of marquee Koreans such as Byeong Hun An, Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim, and Tom Kim.
What follows is a round-up of information and historical data to get you prepped for a weekend of golf in Texas.
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson
This week’s Primer is powered by Titleist Golf Store at Amazon.
PGA Tour: At-a-Glance
Name: The CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Title Sponsor: CJ Group
Tour Debut: 1944
Debut Name: Texas Victory Open
Dates: May 1-4, 2025
Where: McKinney, Texas
Course: TPC Craig Ranch
Distance: Par 71, 7569 yards
Architect: Tom Weiskopf
Format: 72-holes, Stroke play
Field: 156 Players (36-hole cut)
Purse: $9,900,000
Winning Share: $1,782,000
FedExCup: 500
Defending Champion: Taylor Pendrith
How to Follow The CJ Cup Byron Nelson
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 4-7 p.m. (GOLF); Sat-Sun: 1-3 p.m. (GOLF), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu-Fri: 7:45 a.m.-7 p.m. (ESPN+); Sat-Sun: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+)
Watch on ESPN+
PGA TOUR RADIO: Thu-Fri: 1-7 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 1-6 p.m.
(PGA TOUR Radio (CH. 92) on SiriusXM and PGATour.com Live Stream)
EVENT LINKS: Web | Instagram | X/Twitter | Facebook
PGA TOUR LINKS: Web | Instagram | X | Facebook | YouTube
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson History
The Byron Nelson has traditionally been contested in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1944. It is one of two PGA Tour stops in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (the other being the Colonial stop) – the only metropolitan area to host two events.
Called the “Texas Victory Open,” the $2,000 first-prize check in that inaugural 1944 tournament was awarded to Dallas native Byron Nelson, who claimed a 10-shot victory over 17-time PGA Tour winner Jug McSpaden. At 8-under par, Nelson was the only player in the field to finish in the red.
Sam Snead and Ben Hogan won the next two editions before it was halted for the second world war.
After a 10-year absence, the tournament returned in 1956, and due to infighting over the tournament name, it held two iterations just a month apart – in May (Dallas Centennial Open) and June (Texas International Open), both at Preston Hollow Country Club.
Along with Nelson, Hogan, and Snead, who won twice more (1957-58), the tournament produced an impressive list of winners in its infancy, with major champions Don January, Peter Thomson (his only victory in the U.S.), Julius Boros, and Roberto De Vicenzo all taking home a trophy in the tournament’s first 10 editions following its sabbatical.
Since then, winners have included legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Lanny Wadkins, Raymond Floyd, Tom Watson, Payne Stewart, Ben Crenshaw, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods and Jason Day.
Watson holds the tournament record for most victories with four – including three-straight titles (1978-80), followed by a hat trick of trophies from Snead, and two apiece by Nicklaus, Garcia, Day, Bruce Lietzke and K.H. Lee.
In 1968, the tournament officially incorporated Nelson into its name, becoming the Byron Nelson Golf Classic. It was the first time a tournament was named after a player. Some 20 years later, in 1988, the tournament brought on GTE as its first title sponsor: the GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic. GTE/Verizon remained the title sponsors through the 2002 edition, with EDS/HP paying for the tournament title until 2014. AT&T was the title sponsor from 2015 until 2023. The CJ Group paid for the title rights, starting in 2024.
History: Tournament Names
- The CJ Cup Byron Nelson (2024-)
- AT&T Byron Nelson (2015-2023)
- HP Byron Nelson Championship (2009-14)
- EDS Byron Nelson Championship (2003-08)
- Verizon Byron Nelson Classic (2001-02)
- GTE Byron Nelson Classic (1999-2000)
- GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic (1988-98)
- Byron Nelson Golf Classic (1968-87)
- Dallas Open Invitational (1957-67)
- Texas International Open (June 1956)
- Dallas Centennial Open (May 1956)
- Dallas Invitational (1946)
- Dallas Open (1945)
- Texas Victory Open (1944)
Watson & Nelson
Tom Watson won a record four career PGA Tour Byron Nelson titles, thanks in part to the mentoring and coaching of Mr. Nelson, himself. The pair hooked up in 1975, with Watson, then 25, owning just one PGA Tour title at the time, and established a brilliant friendship and productive teacher-student relationship, resulting in 38 more Tour wins including eight majors.
History: Records
WINS:
4 – Tom Watson (1975, 1978-80)
3 – Sam Snead (1945, 1957-58)
2 – Jack Nicklaus (1970-71)
2 – Bruce Lietzke (1981, 1988)
2 – Sergio Garcia (2004, 2016)
2 – Jason Day (2010, 2023)
2 – K.H. Lee (2021-22)
SCORING:
261 – Rory Sabbatini (2009), Aaron Wise (2018), Sung Kang (2019), Jason Day (2023), Taylor Pendrith (2024)
26-under – K.H. Lee (2022)
History: Recent Winners
2023: Taylor Pendrith (-23)
2023: Jason Day (-23)
2022: K.H. Lee (-26)
2021: K.H. Lee (-25)
2020: No tournament (COVID)
2019: Sung Kang (-23)
2018: Aaron Wise (-23)
2017: Billy Horschel (-12)
2016: Sergio Garcia (-15)
2015: Steven Bowditch (-18)
2014: Brendon Todd (-14)
2013: Bae Sang-Moon (-13)
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson Field
The field teeing it up this week at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas is fairly weak but will be headlined by Texas stars Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris and Jordan Spieth.
Scheffler is the overwhelming favorite (3-1) as both Spieth (18-1) and Zalatoris (50-1) enter in suspect form, each looking for their first win since 2022.
Scheffler, the world No. 1, appears to be close to his 2022-2024 form, but is still searching for a victory in 2025.
Taylor Pendrith will defend his maiden PGA Tour title. The Canadian has been hit or miss in 2025, with three top-10s alongside a six-pack of finishes outside the top 35.
Other marquee names include the Korean contingent of Byeong Hun An, Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim, and Tom Kim.
Sam Burns, Jake Knapp, Mackenzie Hughes, and Ben Griffin, who won last week in New Orleans, round out the top-10 betting favorites.
Top-10 Betting Favorites
1. Scottie Scheffler (+300)
2. Jordan Spieth (+1800)
3. Byeong Hun An (+2500)
3. Sam Burns (+2500)
3. Sungjae Im (+2500)
6. Si Woo Kim (+3000)
6. Taylor Pendrith (+3000)
8. Jake Knapp (+3500)
8. Stephan Jaeger (+3500)
10. Ben Griffin (+4000)
10. Mackenzie Hughes (+4000)
Full Field & Odds
Credits: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images
