Coming off the heels of a Major, especially one that got so much media attention is no easy feat, but let's see what the classic Byron Nelson can do. Even without signature event status, the allure of this event has been notable for years. Hometown favorite Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion, and is looking to join K.H. Lee as only the 2nd back-to-back winner since Tom Watson won 3 straight from 1978-1980.

Don't forget, when looking to build your lineups, make sure to take advantage of our PGA DFS Projections, PGA DFS Ownership, and PGA DFS Lineup Optimizer to get every advantage you can. 

Let’s dive in!

 

THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson 2026: Daily Fantasy Golf Picks & Projections

Yet another event that probably rings a bell, but you aren’t sure why. Now sponsored by CJ Cup, formerly known at the AT&T Byron Nelson, is named after famed PGA Tour player Byron Nelson who won 64 times as a professional. For most of the events history, this was the only event on tour named after a player (the Arnold Palmer has since joined this event). What’s more important about this event is the fundraising aspect of this event, as this event has raised over $143,000,000 for charity. Now hosted over at TPC Craig Ranch after previously being hosted at courses such as Preston Trail Golf Club and TPC at Las Colinas, this is our 6th event at this venue.

 

TPC Craig Ranch: Course Breakdown This Week

TPC Craig Ranch may, or may not, be the most boring course on the PGA Tour. Craig Ranch is basically an amalgamation of other TPC courses, as it reuses many hole designs and standard layouts. Playing under 7,400 yards at par 71, this course plays as an absolute birdie-fest, with the average winning score sitting around 26 under par, though Scottie pushed that number to -31 last year. With zoysia fairways and bentgrass greens, this is a very straight forward event, made even easier by some of the widest fairways, largest greens, and overall one of the easiest layouts on tour.

Looking at the key statistics of this event, there are only a few that truly stand out here. Driving distance plays arguably the largest factor off the tee, though accuracy does play above average here in terms of importance. We'll be using Good Drives Gained as our key accuracy metric, though Driving Distance gets additional waiting this week. While we had previously seen the 150-175 yard approach bucket play of higher importance, last year we saw that 175+ and 200+ specifically play at nearly double the rate that they do in other events. While putting will never NOT help you win an event, 3 putt avoidance will be more important as it frequently is when seeing larger green complexes. Play around the green is almost non-existent.

Diving into a more detailed course breakdown, while one of the par 3s plays under 150 yards, the other 3 play over 215 yards. The par 4s see the most variance, with the shortest being just over 350 yards, and the longest being over 510. We see similar overall disparity with the 3 Par 5’s as the longest is nearly 80 yards longer than the shortest at over 635 yards. The emphasis on distance as the course defense is clear here. Putting also plays an important factor here, but not in the way that likely comes to mind. While the greens are huge, putting does play some importance here in the sense that you simply can’t lose strokes with the putter. As a result, three putt avoidance will play a larger factor as well.

With an overall breakdown of the field, the picture of who to target becomes clearer. We want long hitters with solid iron plays who are solid enough with the putter. Wedge game is far less important here, so players who thrive on the short game fall down the card here for me. With scoring at a premium here, birdie or better gained is a clear winner statistically as well. When looking at the key stats mentioned some of the top players in these categories are:


SG: APP: Zac Blair, Brooks Koepka, Tom Kim, Scottie Scheffler, Austin Eckroat, Keita Nakajima, John Parry, Ben Kohles, Zecheng Dou, and Davis Thompson

BoB Gained: Ben Silverman, Lanto Griffin, Paul Peterson, Taylor Montgomery, Blades Brown, Hayden Springer, Scottie Scheffler, Zac Blair, Ben Kohles, Eric Cole

Driving Distance: Michael Brennan, Johnny Keefer, Rasmus Hojgaard, Jesper Svensson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Roders, Pierceson Coody, Michael Thorbjornsen, Keith Mitchell, and Taylor Pendrith

 

THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson 2026 Field: Golf DFS

I'll just be blunt, this is not a strong field. Scottie Scheffler is the World No. 1, and he is in the field this week, but is joined by just Si Woo Kim and Jordan Spieth as players in the top 50 of the OWGR. Scottie is also the defending champion this week, and is joined by Taylor Pendrith and K.H. Lee as players who have won at TPC Craig Ranch. Aaron Wise and Billy Horschel have also won this event, but those were at the previous venue. In general, this event is buoyed by Scottie at the top, but we should still be able to identify some other solid value plays, even if we're naturally paying more for players who would be dirt cheap in other events. 

 

 

This Week’s PGA DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator

To enhance your daily fantasy golf selections and secure optimal PGA DFS values, it's advisable to utilize our PGA DFS optimizer and lineup generator. This optimizer serves as a valuable resource for daily fantasy golf enthusiasts aiming to develop effective lineups!

It provides projections, updates on player injuries, and a range of analytical insights to facilitate the lineup-building process. Essentially, it functions as a strategic advantage for participants in daily fantasy golf and makes their own PGA DFS picks!

PGA Best Bets & Predictions: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (15-20 Overall, +3.68 Units)

  • Christiaan Bezuidenhout Top 20: +250
  • Jordan Speith Top 10: +180
  • One and Done Picks
    • Christiaan Bezuidenhout
    • Taylor Pendrith
 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: Top Tier

Si Woo Kim ($9,900 DraftKings/$11,900 FanDuel)

Si-Woo has the 2nd highest betting odds in the field, behind Scottie, and it's easy to see why. Over the last 3 seasons, he's never finished outside the top 15 in this event, with a runner up finish in 2023. While his performance at the Truist and PGA Championships were not the strongest, he remains a clear contender. He's top 20 in Strokes Gained: Approach and Birdie or Better Percentage, and is top 10 in Strokes Gained at comparable courses, and Strokes Gained: Total over his last 24 rounds.

Jordan Spieth ($9,800 DraftKings/$11,800 FanDuel)

Spieth is another hometown favorite at this venue. Outside of a missed cut here in 2024, he's finished top 10 in each start at TPC Craig Ranch, including a runner up finish and a top 4 finish last year. The downside is that bentgrass is Spieth's worst putting surface. His profile in my model doesn't scream must play, but I can't ignore his history at this event and anyone who has been watching Spieth has to admit that he's looking good more often than he isn't. 

Wyndham Clark ($8,800 DraftKings/$10,500 FanDuel)

It's not often I actively choose to bet on Wyndham Clark, either in the betting markets or in DFS, but I can't ignore his place in my model this week. Clark finishes 4th in my model this week, and is field average or above in all but one statistical category this week. Most importantly, he ranks 15th on approach and 12th in Birdie or Better Percentage. Considering that's nearly 50 percent of my weighting this week, I'm taking the chance on him here.

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: MID-TIER

Tom Kim ($7,800 DraftKings/$9,500 FanDuel)

Another surprise name for me, but lesser than Clark. Kim, like many PGA Tour players, is a Dallas resident, so he's another local for this event. Kim ranks 3rd in approach play this week, and bentgrass is far and away his best putting surface, gaining nearly a half-stroke per round on average on this surface compared to losing strokes on Poa and Poa Trivialis. It helps that his is a weak-field event as well, as he averages nearly a full-stroke per round gained in events of this caliber. 

Blades Brown ($7,800 DraftKings/$9,600 FanDuel)

I'm gonna be in on Brown any chance that I can, and this event is a perfect opportunity to do so. He ranks 5th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total, 4th in Birdie or Better Percentage, and he's a top 15 par 4 scorer. He's been great in his PGA Tour starts this year, and he's got 3 top 20 finishes in his last 4 starts between tours (with his only non-top 20 coming at Zurich in the team event). The kid is inevitable, so why not root for him any chance we get!?

Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($8,300 DraftKings/$9,800 FanDuel)

Bezuidenhout is one of my favorite one-and-done plays this week, which makes him a DFS favorite as well. Scottie Scheffler is the only golfer on the planet to gain more strokes in the state of Texas over the last 36 rounds. When Bezuidenhout is on with the flat-stick, he's one of the best players on tour with that specific club in his hand. He's also finished 12th and 23rd at this venue previously.

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: VALUE TIER

Austin Eckroat ($7,500 DraftKings/$9,000 FanDuel)

Eckroat is 5th in the field in SG: Approach over his last 24 rounds. That'll play. He's finished as the runner up at this event before, and has rattled off 3 straight top 20 finishes on tour, including 2 top 10's. His recent form is strong, his history is good, and I'm seeing no legitimate reasons to not be interested here.

Hayden Springer ($7,000 DraftKings/$8,300 FanDuel)

Springer is a bit of the antithesis of everything I've said so far. He's not been great on approach, but he hits it a mile, and is a top 16 putter in this field. His scoring numbers remain strong, and he's certainly got the most volatility of anyone mentioned thus far in the article, but he's got as much upside as anyone not named Scottie Scheffler this week. 

Ben Kohles ($7,100 DraftKings/$8,200 FanDuel)

I've never written this name doing content prior to today, but there's a first for everything! Kohles sneaks into the top 10 in my model this week, with great numbers on approach, especially from 200+. In the limited data we do have, he's top 10 in Birdie or Better Percentage, and has been elite on par 4's. He's coming off a top 12 on the Korn Ferry Tour, and he also has a runner up finish at this event. Why not Ben Kohles?

 

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