After last week’s PGA Championship, the PGA Tour heads back to Texas for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Located within the community of Craig Ranch in the Dallas suburb of McKinney, Texas, TPC Craig Ranch is the host course for the sixth consecutive year. The event dates back to 1944 and has moved all over the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in recent years, with Trinity Forest and the TPC Four Seasons Resort courses also hosting.
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Featuring easy scoring conditions, few hazards, wide-open fairways and large, receptive greens, this Tom Weiskopf design is a prototypical TPC course. With an average winning score of 25-under par, it is a birdie-maker’s paradise that inevitably boils down to a putting contest. Along with “spike putting” ability, approach play from 175-plus yards will be a key “separator” when determining golfers to target this week.
The course is expected to play somewhat more challenging this year after undergoing an offseason renovation led by former pro Lanny Wadkins. The primary motivation behind the renovation was the belief that the course had become too easy for modern professionals. That concern peaked when Scottie Scheffler tied the PGA Tour’s all time 72-hole scoring record at 31 under par during the 2025 tournament.
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The overhaul included a switch to Bermuda rough, Zoysia fairways and a newer bentgrass green strain, along with tighter fairways, redesigned and repositioned bunkers, new green complexes, additional water features, native grasses, waste areas and several revamped holes throughout the property.
Here are my favorite plays and fades in each price range for the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
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$9,000+ range Play: Jordan Spieth, $9,800
The Dallas native is one of only three players in this field who ranks positively across all four major Strokes Gained categories in 2026, joining Scottie Scheffler and Mac Meissner. He is driving the ball better than ever and also ranks 11th in this field in SG/approach this season. His ball-striking was on full display last week at the PGA Championship, where he ranked third in SG/tee to green and likely would have contended if not for a cold putter. Encouragingly, he has already shown the ability to spike on the greens this year, gaining more than six total strokes putting in three separate tournaments. In his four starts at TPC Craig Ranch, Spieth has three top-10 finishes.
Play: Ryo Hisatsune, $9,300 
Darren Carroll/PGA of America
Though Hisatsune has cooled off slightly after a demanding stretch of high-level events compared to the elite form he showed during the opening months of the season, a move to an easier course against a weaker field should position him to contend once again. At just 23 years old, both his upside, highlighted by five top-15 finishes already this year, and his consistency, with nine consecutive made cuts, have been extremely impressive.
Fade: Scottie Scheffler, $14,800
While Scheffler could very well win this tournament by eight shots again, the lack of reliable options in the low $7,000 and $6,000 range makes roster construction extremely difficult. It is hard to find five additional players in those salary tiers that inspire much confidence. I would rather build around a balanced mid-tier group with legitimate top-10 upside across the board than lock in the winner and hope the cheaper plays simply survive the cut.
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$8,000+ range Play: Max Greyserman, $8,400 
Andrew Redington
After a strong all-around performance at Myrtle Beach Classic two weeks ago where he gained strokes in every major category, Greyserman took another step forward with a T-14 finish at last week’s PGA Championship. He gained 2.6 strokes ball-striking and another 4.9 strokes through his short game during the week. According to the Rabbit Hole, Greyserman ranks second in this field on easy scoring courses in weaker field events over the past two years. He has also repeatedly shown he is capable of contending, recording multiple runner-up finishes over the past year.
Fade: Sungjae Im, $8,700
Outside of two top-five finishes this season, Im has largely struggled with three missed cuts and no other results better than T-40. At a course like TPC Craig Ranch, where players need to generate birdie opportunities in bunches, Im simply has not been putting himself in enough scoring positions with his iron play. He has lost strokes on approach in six straight events and ranks 92nd in this field in SG/approach for the season.
$7,000+ range Play: Blades Brown, $7,800 
Raj Mehta
The young phenom continues to impress despite a limited number of PGA Tour starts. After contending near the top of the leader board and finishing T-18 at The American Express in January, Brown has since posted a solo third at the Puerto Rico Open and a T-9 at the Myrtle Beach Classic. In between, he also recorded multiple top-five finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour. His game appears well suited for TPC Craig Ranch, combining above average distance off the tee with strong iron play and a reliable putter.
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$6,000+ range Play: Chandler Blanchet, $6,800 
Darren Carroll/PGA of America
In one of the weakest $6,000 ranges in recent memory, Blanchet stands out as a player who has more than held his own in several recent high-level events. He finished T-33 at the RBC Heritage signature event and also made the cut at last week’s PGA Championship, where he gained two strokes on approach and another 1.8 strokes with the putter. He has also shown legitimate upside this season with a runner-up finish at the Puerto Rico Open and a T-18 at the Valspar Championship.
Sign up for the industry’s leading data tool to make golf stats easy to decipher—head to BetspertsGolf.com now and get access to The Rabbit Hole for only $10 for your first month. Use promo code GD10 at sign up for this amazing deal!
Ron Klos (@PGASplits101 on X) is a PGA Tour data analyst for Betsperts Golf.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
