Scottie Scheffler returns to defend his CJ Cup Byron Nelson title a huge betting favorite when the PGA Tour opens its annual Texas two-step at a freshly renovated TPC Craig Ranch on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
The World No. 1 lapped the field by eight strokes at a record-setting 31-under in 2025, and he arrives in McKinney as the +180 chalk on the odds board. Below is the latest 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson odds breakdown — top of the board, mid-tier value plays, longshots worth a sprinkle, and the storylines reshaping the betting picture this week.
Last Updated: Thursday, May 21, 2026
2026 CJ CUP BYRON NELSON DATE, TIME & HOW TO WATCH | |
|---|---|
| Where | TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, TX |
| When | Thursday–Sunday, May 21–24 – First round 8:00 AM ET |
| TV | Golf Channel / CBS |
Scottie Scheffler Favored in 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson Odds
Scheffler is the betting favorite in every tournament he tees up in, but the Byron Nelson is his hometown event and the price reflects it. The Dallas-area native lives roughly 30 minutes from TPC Craig Ranch, sleeps in his own bed for the week, and is the defending champion at a venue where he posted one of the most dominant non-major performances on the PGA Tour over the last decade. The case for the favorite is genuine, particularly with the field thinned out by the post-PGA Championship calendar.
The case against is the price tag and the form line. Scheffler has only one PGA Tour win on the 2026 calendar — the season-opener at The American Express in January — and finished T14 at last week's PGA Championship after his putter went cold for the third straight week. A +180 implied probability of roughly 35.7 percent is a steep number to lay on any single golfer in a 144-man field, even one as talented as Scheffler, and last year's 31-under is unrepeatable on a course that was specifically rebuilt to stop scores like that.
That last point matters. Per course designer Lanny Wadkins, TPC Craig Ranch underwent a multi-million-dollar offseason renovation aimed at making 30-under winning scores a thing of the past. The course now plays as a 7,385-yard par 71 — about 200 yards shorter — with redesigned bunkers, recontoured greens, new turf, and repositioned tee boxes. Backing Scheffler at +180 means trusting that the player most familiar with the old layout adjusts fastest to a course nobody has truly seen in competition yet.
2026 CJ CUP BYRON NELSON – TOP ODDS TO WIN | |
|---|---|
| Name | Odds |
| Scottie Scheffler | +180 |
| Si Woo Kim | +1300 |
| Jordan Spieth | +1600 |
| Brooks Koepka | +2200 |
| Pierceson Coody | +3500 |
| Taylor Pendrith | +4000 |
| Ryo Hisatsune | +4000 |
| Davis Thompson | +4000 |
| Michael Thorbjornsen | +4000 |
| Wyndham Clark | +4500 |
Odds accurate as of Thursday, May 21, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest Golf Odds - Props
Mid-Tier Value at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson
The most defensible CJ Cup Byron Nelson outright value typically sits between +1300 and +4000, where bettors get proven Tour winners and red-hot trending names without the Scheffler tax baked into the top of the board.
Si Woo Kim (+1300) is the World No. 22, lives in the Dallas area, and has been one of the steadier performers on tour this season. He has a track record at Craig Ranch and the kind of putting profile that travels well on bentgrass — exactly what this course rewards even in its new configuration. He's grouped with Scheffler and Brooks Koepka for the opening two rounds, which gives bettors a clean read on his ceiling against the favorite from Thursday morning.
Jordan Spieth (+1600) is the other true hometown name in the field. The three-time major champion lives in Dallas, finished fourth at this event in 2025, and finished solo second in 2022. He ranked third in strokes-gained tee-to-green at last week's PGA Championship before his putter let him down. Spieth hasn't won on the PGA Tour since the 2022 RBC Heritage — a drought now stretching nearly four years — but the underlying ball-striking numbers say a breakthrough at this number is not unreasonable. The case against is the same it has been all season: the putter has to cooperate.
Brooks Koepka (+2200) is the fourth choice on the board and arrives with his long game in good shape — but with his own self-acknowledged putting struggles. He missed the cut in his only prior Craig Ranch appearance back in 2021, so the course history is thin. At better than 22-to-1, the price reflects both the upside and the very real chance he doesn't make the weekend.
Longshots and TPC Craig Ranch Storylines
The Byron Nelson has historically been one of the more longshot-friendly stops on the PGA Tour, and the field this week supports that pattern. K.H. Lee won back-to-back at +6000-type prices, Taylor Pendrith claimed the 2024 title as a four-figure number, and the weak strength of field creates room for a deep play to break through. Our colleagues have laid out a full case for a surprise winner at TPC Craig Ranch that's worth a read before locking in your card.
At +3500, Pierceson Coody fits a familiar Craig Ranch profile — Texas-raised, a bomber off the tee, and an iron player with the strokes-gained approach numbers this course tends to reward. Michael Thorbjornsen (+4000) is another young name trending in the right direction, with the kind of length-and-touch combination that the renovated course should still favor. For deeper plays, Pendrith (+4000) is the most recent past champion in the field outside of Scheffler, and Davis Thompson (+4000) has been a regular fixture inside the cut line on similar layouts.
Two storylines outside the betting board are worth tracking. Newly minted PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai withdrew from the field the day after his major breakthrough at Aronimink, and is replaced by S.Y. Noh. Rai's withdrawal followed a wave of similar exits including Michael Kim, Aldrich Potgieter, Andrew Putnam, Nicolai Højgaard, Marco Penge, and Webb Simpson — further weakening an already thin field. Weather is the other variable: wet, rainy conditions are in the forecast across the week at McKinney, which historically softens greens, allows aggressive iron play, and helps the bombers who can carry the wider rough lines off the tee.
2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson Betting FAQ
Who is the favorite to win the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson?
Scottie Scheffler is the consensus favorite at +180 on TheSpread.com. The World No. 1 is the defending champion after winning by eight strokes at 31-under in 2025, and he lives in the Dallas area roughly 30 minutes from the host course.
When is the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson?
The 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson runs Thursday, May 21, through Sunday, May 24, 2026. The first round begins at 8:00 AM ET at TPC Craig Ranch.
Where is the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson being played?
The tournament is being played at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, the host course since 2021. The 7,385-yard par-71 layout was renovated this past offseason by Lanny Wadkins and now plays approximately 200 yards shorter than it did in 2025.
What channel is the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson on?
The Golf Channel will carry early-round coverage Thursday through Sunday, with CBS taking over for the weekend afternoon windows. Streaming is available on PGA Tour Live via ESPN+, with simulcasts on Paramount+.