The First Look: THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson

After the PGA TOUR teamed up last week for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, it heads back to Texas for THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch – which underwent a hearty renovation led by 21-time PGA TOUR winner Lanny Wadkins after last year’s tournament.

This is the final event for those looking to qualify for the next Signature Event on the calendar, the Truist Championship, via the Aon Swing 5 and Aon Next 10.

The field is highlighted by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who returns to THE CJ CUP after not playing last year – and who is looking to find the winner’s circle for the first time in 2025.

Here’s everything else you need to know as the TOUR returns to the Dallas metroplex.

FIELD NOTES: Scottie Scheffler is making his first appearance at THE CJ CUP since 2023 and sixth in his TOUR career. Scheffler has five top 10s already this season, including three in a row and a fourth at the Masters in his title defense. The last time Scheffler teed it up at TPC Craig Ranch, he finished T5 after opening with rounds of 64-64. … Fellow Texan Jordan Spieth is back in action at TPC Craig Ranch after missing the cut last year. Spieth has had some solid results at this course before, however, finishing T9 in 2021 and then runner-up the next year to K.H. Lee, falling short by just one stroke. Spieth has two top 10s so far this year. … Taylor Pendrith returns to defend his title at THE CJ CUP, looking to become the first golfer since K.H. Lee to go back-to-back. Lee was the first golfer to successfully defend his title at this tournament since Tom Watson, who won three in a row from 1978-1980. Pendrith used his victory last year to springboard himself to the TOUR Championship for the first time, along with earning a spot on the Presidents Cup team. … Sungjae Im comes into THE CJ CUP off back-to-back impressive results at some big-time events. Im, the other top-20 ranked golfer in the world this week alongside Scheffler, finished T5 at the Masters and T11 at the RBC Heritage. … Christo Lamprecht earned his way into the field after being named the 2024 Byron Nelson Award recipient as a graduating senior at Georgia Tech. Lamprecht has two top-five finishes so far this year on the Korn Ferry Tour, including a T2 at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard. This will be his first start on TOUR in 2025.

HIGHEST-RANKED PLAYERS IN THE FIELD

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Noah Kent is set to make his third start on the PGA TOUR this season after also teeing it up at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and the Masters. Kent, a sophomore at Florida, earned his Masters invite via finishing runner-up at the U.S. Amateur last summer. He missed the cut at Augusta National and in Houston. … Seventeen-year-old Kris Kim of England will tee it up on TOUR for the second time after making his debut at this event last year. He is the son of former LPGA Tour player Ji-Hyun Suh and went unbeaten in four matches at the Junior Ryder Cup in Rome in 2023. At just 16, Kim made the cut last year. … Tommy Morrison will make his non-major PGA TOUR debut after finishing T60 at The Open Championship last year. Morrison, a Dallas native, is a junior at the University of Texas. He was third on the team in scoring average last season as a sophomore. … Seungbin Choi is making his PGA TOUR debut after a very solid KPGA Tour career, including winning the KPGA Championship in 2023. Choi told Korean media: “I’ve dreamed of playing on the PGA TOUR since I was young, and I’m excited to compete on a bigger stage through THE CJ CUP.” … University of Texas alum Pierceson Coody along with TOUR winners Chesson Hadley, Martin Laird, Zach Johnson, Chez Revie and Kevin Tway round out the sponsor invites.

SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson is the final event before the Truist Championship. … Andrew Novak, after his win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, leads the Aon Next 10. … Min Woo Lee holds onto the No. 10 spot by a mere four points over Harris English. … With his win at Corales, Garrick Higgo continues to top the Aon Swing 5. … On the back of his T4 alongside Karl Vilips at the Zurich Classic, Michael Thorbjornsen sits second in the standings while the Højgaard twins, Rasmus and Nicolai (after finishing runner-up at TPC Louisiana), are tied for third with 162.5 points. … Keith Mitchell (who finished T18 with J.T. Poston in New Orleans) sits on the No. 5 spot, just five points ahead of Frankie Capan III and Jake Knapp. All three are in the field at TPC Craig Ranch.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: With his maiden PGA TOUR victory (alongside Ben Griffin), Andrew Novak jumped from No. 15 to No. 6 in the standings, bumping J.J. Spaun to No. 11. … The rest of the TOUR TOP 10 remained the same last week, with Rory McIlroy continuing to grow his lead over No. 2 Justin Thomas thanks to his T12 in his title defense (alongside Shane Lowry) in New Orleans.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points.

COURSE: TPC Craig Ranch, par 71, 7,569 yards, is set to undergo a massive renovation after this year’s tournament, led by 21-time PGA TOUR winner Lanny Wadkins and his design firm. The changes will completely overhaul the course, incorporating new turf varieties on both the fairways and greens. The club has already replaced a 20-plus-year-old irrigation system in preparation for the new work.

New tees have already been added, including on the par-5 5th, set to be lengthened to now play over 630 yards, while the par-4 8th will play longer than 500 yards. Twenty yards have been added to the par-4 10th, 10 yards have been added to No. 11, and 30 yards have been added to No. 14.

72-HOLE RECORD: 259, Steven Bowditch (2015 at TPC Four Seasons). Bowditch was 18-under after heavy rain turned TPC Four Seasons into a par-69 layout for the final three rounds.

• TPC Craig Ranch record: 261, Jason Day (2023), Taylor Pendrith (2024)

18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Arron Oberholser (second round, 2006 at Cottonwood Valley GC), Keegan Bradley (first round, 2013 at TPC Four Seasons), Sebastián Muñoz (first round, 2022 at TPC Craig Ranch), S.Y. Noh (first round, 2023 at TPC Craig Ranch)

LAST TIME: Taylor Pendrith won for the first time on the PGA TOUR thanks to a steady final day at TPC Craig Ranch and an ill-timed bogey from Ben Kohles. Kohles, who had made birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 Sunday, had 5 feet for a closing par on the par-5 18th – after hitting a poor chip with his third shot – and missed it by just inches. Pendrith was 41 feet away for eagle and cozied it up to just a couple feet (“the straightest putt” he’d had all season, Pendrith’s caddie would tell him), and he calmly rolled it in for a one-shot victory. The Canadian got himself into contention with a Saturday 63 and held the 54-hole lead. He shot a 4-under 67 in the finale. Kohles was second alone, with Alex Noren in third.

How to follow (all times ET):

Television:

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• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group.
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups.
• Featured holes: Combination of par 3s and iconic or pivotal holes.

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-6 p.m.