The CJ Cup Byron Nelson runs May 21–24 at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. With $10.3 million on the line and 500 FedExCup points available, this is one of the more consequential stops of the spring stretch.

 

Event Details at a Glance

  • Dates: May 21–24, 2026
  • Location: TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, TX
  • Purse: $10,300,000
  • FedExCup Points to Winner: 500
  • Previous Winner: Scottie Scheffler ($1,782,000)

Scheffler Back to Defend

Scottie Scheffler returns as defending champion after his win here last year. He’s been the most consistent player on tour for some time now, and coming back to a course where he’s already succeeded adds another layer of confidence to an already formidable game.

Stopping him is the question the rest of the field has to answer.

The Course

TPC Craig Ranch is a Tom Weiskopf design that opened in 2001. It plays as a par 72 stretching over 7,400 yards, with wide fairways that invite aggressive driving. Don’t mistake that openness for easy, though. The greens are the real challenge here — undulating, fast, and unforgiving of loose approach play.

Texas wind is always a factor. Scores can cluster near the top of the leaderboard early in the week, but the players who manage their iron game and putt well on these surfaces are the ones still standing on Sunday.

Where It Fits on the Calendar

Late May matters. The PGA Championship is in the rearview mirror by this point, and the summer stretch is approaching fast. Players building FedExCup standing need weeks like this one. Five hundred points is meaningful at any stage of the season, and a strong finish here can reshape where a player sits heading into the back half of the year.

Shawn Costello’s Perspective

PGA Master Professional Shawn Costello sees the CJ Cup Byron Nelson as a week that rewards ball-strikers who don’t take the wide fairways for granted. The scoring opportunities are real, but so is the margin for error on approach shots.

According to Shawn Costello, TPC Craig Ranch puts a premium on iron play and green reading. Players who show up with those two things dialed in tend to separate themselves by Saturday. The ones who rely on length alone usually find out by Sunday that it wasn’t enough.