After the PGA TOUR played the second major of the season at Aronimink Golf Club last week, they’ll head back to the Lone Star State for THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. The Nelson is one of two events each year in the Dallas area, and provides the pros a great place to score low after grinding last week in the difficult conditions at the PGA Championship. THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson begins on Thursday, May 21, and will conclude by crowning the champion on Sunday, May 24, barring any weather issues.

Let’s start the week with a look at the format, history, and course for the THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

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The Format of the THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson

This week’s full field of around 144 players will be cut to the top 65 and ties after Round 2. All four rounds take place at TPC Craig Ranch (more details below).

The purse is just over $10.3 million since it isn’t a major or a Signature Event. The winner will also receive 500 FedEx Cup points and 45 Official World Golf Ranking points.

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The history of the tournament

The tournament began in 1944 as the Texas Victory Open. Byron Nelson won by 10 strokes, and the legendary golfer from the Dallas area became synonymous with the event. In 1968, his name was added to the event, along with various sponsors over the past several years. HP, AT&T, EDS and Verizon have all been title sponsors before the event became THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson two years ago.

After not happening in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event resumed in 2021 at TPC Craig Ranch, which has been its home ever since.

K.H. Lee won the first two events at Craig Ranch, with Jason Day notching a win that capped his resurgence in 2023. In 2024, Canadian Taylor Pendrith claimed the crown, and last year Scottie Scheffler won in a record-setting week at TPC Craig Ranch, posting an impressive -31 to finish eight strokes clear of the rest of the field.

Scheffler will return to lead the field this week, with Si Woo Kim the only other player in the field in the OWGR top 30. The tournament is a special one for Scheffler since it’s where he made his PGA TOUR debut in May of 2014 as a high school senior.

After initially being listed in the field, Nicolai Hojgaard and Marco Penge withdrew from the event on Saturday, and Michael Kim withdrew on Sunday. After winning the PGA Championship on Sunday, Aaron Rai is also out of the field, and be sure to monitor DK Network closely for more field adjustments after last week’s major.

Check out the full field and odds on DraftKings Sportsbook to see all the players teeing it up this year.

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A Closer Look at the Course

TPC Craig Ranch is northeast of Dallas in McKinney, Texas, and will be hosting the event for a sixth straight season. Tom Weiskopf designed the par-71 layout, which plays at just under 7,400 yards. The course has undergone a major renovation since last year’s event, with a new kind of grass installed on the fairway (Stadium Zoysia) and on the greens (Bentgrass).

Hall of Fame Golfer Lanny Wadkins led the renovation, attempting to make the course a more formidable challenge going forward. The team added waste bunkers to several holes, including “Hell’s Full Acre,” a massive waste bunker dividing landing zones from the green on hole No. 5. In the past few years, this layout has allowed players to take a “bomb and gauge” approach, but the changes seem to be transforming into a more demanding course, specifically on approach.

The course utilizes the gently rolling hills just north of Dallas for elevation changes on the course. The limestone banks of Rowlett Creek are another memorable feature, since the creek crosses the course 14 times. Water isn’t a big part of the course this week, though, with a pond between two holes and the creek officially putting water in play on eight holes, but not very prominently.

With the new layout, Strokes Gained: Approach will be a strong factor to consider this week, along with Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee also important with a slight emphasis on accuracy over distance, especially with the course changes.

This is typically a very low-scoring event, so it will be important to emphasize players who perform well in birdiefests and can go low in a hurry. Past course success and success on other Texas courses are also factors to consider this week as you build your DFS lineups and betting card.

Whenever the PGA TOUR visits Texas, weather is also a key factor to consider since wind and rain can dramatically impact the way the course plays at different times during the day. Overall, the weather looks solid with some potential for rain before the event and during the day on Thursday, keeping the course soft. Keep a close eye out for wave advantages that could develop. Coming into the week, it looks like the winds could be slightly lower for the half of the field that plays late Thursday and early Friday, but the situation could change as we get closer to the tournament, so be sure to double-check the forecast.

As you get ready for what should be another fun week on the PGA TOUR, be sure to get your DFS fantasy golf lineups and betting cards filled out with help from DK Network! We’ll have ongoing coverage throughout the week and exciting promotions to help you enjoy this weekend’s tournament.