CJ Cup Byron Nelson PGA Betting Odds: Jordan Spieth Favoured
No Texan has won this event since Scott Verplank in 2007.
The Byron Nelson is one of two PGA Tour events named after a player alongside March’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in the Orlando area. This had been called the AT&T Byron Nelson since 2015, but the CJ Group took on the role of official title sponsor last September in a decade-long deal. The AT&T departure from the Byron Nelson was fairly significant because Dallas is the company’s home base.
One difference this year from last is that the tournament is not the week ahead of the PGA Championship, which might have improved the quality of field. Although it is not a Signature Event, so that likely kept many big names away.
TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, has been the host only since 2021. It’s a par 71 at approximately 7,415 yards. Golfers must deal with Rowlett Creek, which crosses the course on 14 of the 18 holes. The signature hole is No. 17, set up in a stadium-type atmosphere.
The defending champion is Aussie Jason Day, who also captured his first PGA Tour win at the 2010 Byron Nelson but at a different course. In 2023, Day shot a final-round 62 and took his first outright lead when he broke a tie at 20 under with Scottie Scheffler with a chip-in for birdie at the par-4 12th. Day finished at 23-under 261, one up on Austin Eckroat and Si Woo Kim.
The winner of the tournament has been at least 23 under every year since 2018 (no event in 2020). It was Day’s first PGA Tour victory in five years overall, and he hasn’t won since. Scheffler finished at 20 under with a final-round 65, but the world No. 1 isn’t playing this year. Two-time defending champion K.H. Lee finished 11 under. Our value pick was Seamus Power at +5100, and he shot in the 60s all four rounds but finished T19.
This is the last chance for players not already qualified to get into next week’s Signature Event, the Wells Fargo Championship.
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson Golf Odds
Bet on CJ Cup Byron Nelson Golf
American Jordan Spieth (+1400) is the highest-ranked player in the world in the field at No. 20 and looks for his first win in the event. In 2010 when the tournament was held at Las Colinas Four Seasons, Spieth made his PGA Tour debut at just 16 years old. He was a runner-up at TPC Craig Ranch two years ago. Spieth was Top 10 in early April at the Valero Texas Open and usually plays well in his home state.
Si Woo Kim is +1800 with Jason Day +2000, and Alex Noren and Will Zalatoris at +2200 each. South Koreans like Kim have done very well in his event, and he was a co-runner-up to Day last year. Kim didn’t contend the previous two years, though. Day is having a pretty solid year overall with three Top 10s and tries to become the fourth player to repeat in this tournament and join Sam Snead (three) and Tom Watson (four) as the only golfers to win it at least three times.
Noren didn’t play the tournament last year and was 12th and 21st the previous two years. The talented Swede is not having a great year with just one Top 10. Zalatoris also is from the area but hasn’t played here since a missed cut in 2022. K.H. Lee, who was going for a threepeat last year, is +5000.
No Canadian has won this tournament – Mike Weir was a runner-up by two to Brendon Todd in 2014. Mackenzie Hughes was the top finisher last year at T14, with Adam Hadwin T34 and Roger Sloan T79. Michael Gligic missed the cut. Hughes is +4500 this week with Taylor Pendrith +10000, Ben Silverman +17500 and Roger Sloan +40000.
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson Golf Predictions
We like Jordan Spieth for a Top 10 but will go with another Texan to win in Ryan Palmer at +12500. He is struggling in 2024 but has been eighth and fifth here the past two years and was runner-up at a different course in 2011.