THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson slides into TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, and yes, the expectation is very much birdies in bulk, sunscreen on deck, with Scottie back in his own backyard. It’s a good thing for Scheffler fans, and Scottie, because watching his putting come apart at Aronimink last weekend was painful. Forget that it was a Major, except that it was.
The field was close throughout with the cut at +4. Rory, Justin Thomas, Rahm, and Alex Smalley, who has quietly been sneaking up on his first PGA win, all tried giving it a run, but none of the usual suspects could break out. Sure, you can blame it on the wind and weather.
But it was Aaron Rai, pretty much an unknown, who figured it out and stunned the PGA Championship crowd, closing with a final-round 65 to win at -9, three clear of Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley. The 68-foot birdie at 17 sealed the deal, and Rai became the first Englishman since Jim Barnes in 1919 to win the Wanamaker Trophy.
The Setup: Tournament Stakes, Field, and Storylines
The CJ CUP Byron Nelson is going to feel like a week off for those choosing to compete post-Major stress letdown. Play begins Thursday, May 21, and runs through Memorial Day weekend, finishing Sunday, May 24, at TPC Craig Ranch. The course is a 7,385-yard par 71 originally designed by Tom Weiskopf, with 500 FedExCup points to the winner and a $10.3 million purse. Scheffler is the defending champion after last year’s -31, eight-shot runaway.
The three storylines are clean and spicy.
First, Scheffler is the hometown headliner and the board treats him like he’s destined to repeat. He could use a confidence builder after the recent runner-up finishes and last weekend’s struggles on the green.
Second, TPC Craig Ranch is fresh off a major renovation, so past putting contest history comes with a renovation-shaped asterisk.
Third, it’s a lighter field overall with several of the bigger names sitting it out. It’s still not guaranteed for Scottie, though. Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim, Brooks Koepka, Keith Mitchell, Pierceson Coody, Michael Thorbjornsen, Wyndham Clark, Sungjae Im, Tom Kim, Tony Finau, and past winners Taylor Pendrith, K.H. Lee, Aaron Wise, and Billy Horschel are all in the mix.
The Course: What It Demands and What It Punishes
TPC Craig Ranch has long been a grip-it-and-rip-it course, but the 2026 version is not just last year’s birdie fest on repeat. The club says a $22 million renovation led by Lanny Wadkins, a World Golf Hall of Famer, added Stadium Zoysia fairways, TifTuf Bermuda rough and tees, and fast, resilient 777 Bentgrass greens. The project shifted green complexes, tightened bunkers, and moved the third green closer to Rowlett Creek, while the par-5 fifth was extended to 624 yards with a large waste bunker called Hell’s Full Acre.
The fit still starts with scoring. Players need to attack par 5s, handle longer approaches, and make enough putts to keep up if the renovation does not fully mute the low-score DNA. The new rough, tighter green targets, and menacing hazards add more value to approach quality, not just raw launch-and-wedge golf.
Who Fits Here: Player Archetypes and Names to Know
Scheffler is the obvious fit because he already torched this property and now gets a tougher version that still rewards elite ball-striking. Si Woo Kim makes sense as the next-shortest name because he can win on positional layouts and survive weird scoring rhythms. Spieth is the emotional Texas play, but he needs the putter and short game to do real damage. Koepka is the fascinating name because this is not a major, but the field is soft enough that his ceiling matters.
Betting Board: Odds, Angles, and Smart Plays
At FanDuel Sportsbook, Scottie Scheffler is at +190, Si Woo Kim at +1500, Jordan Spieth at +1600, Brooks Koepka +2200, and Ryo Hisatsune +3500. Accessed May 19, 2026, 5:30 p.m. CST.
At DraftKings Sportsbook, Scheffler is +168 outright and -550 for Top 10, Si Woo Kim at +1275 outright and +108 Top 10, Jordan Spieth at +1750 and +142 Top 10, and Brooks Koepka at +2500 and +200. Everyone else is +3500 or higher.
The betting angle is simple: Scheffler is the best player, but the number is tiny. If you are betting outrights, Si Woo Kim and Spieth are the next logical tiers with some room still to run, while Koepka is the volatility play. Don’t completely count out Sungjae Im, who’s paired with Spieth in Round 1, or Wyndham Clark (+4800).
One-and-Done / Season-Long Strategy
Same thinking, different weekend. In One-and-Done, Scheffler is a power move only if your pool rewards win equity over scarcity. I would rather save him for a Signature Event or major unless you are chasing. Si Woo Kim is the balanced play, Spieth is the Texas narrative play, and Mitchell is the leverage play for managers who want a top-10-capable profile without using big names still needed.
The Takeaway & What’s Next
This week is about separating old Craig Ranch assumptions from the renovated reality. The winner still needs birdies, but the new surfaces and tighter strategy could punish sloppy wedges more than the old setup did.
The Tour will stay in Texas next week to finish out May for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, where the birdie faucet turns into a ball-striking stress test with $9.9M and 500 FedExCup points at stake.
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