Three Players to Watch at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson

Aronimink to TPC Craig Ranch is jarring, but nevertheless, we have some more golf to watch this week down in the Lone Star State. CJ CUP Byron Nelson defending champ Scottie Scheffler is back, hoping to go back-to-back, and Las Vegas thinks there’s a pretty decent chance it happens. The World No. 1 is listed at +170 to win.

Scheffler will be joined by Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, Tony Finau, and Si Woo Kim, among others. By no means is it a loaded field, but good enough to make Thursday and Friday morning a little easier at work with ESPN+ on in the background.

Before the action from McKinney gets underway, let’s go through three players worth keeping an eye on at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

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Three Players to Watch at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson

Si Woo Kim (15/1)

Si Woo has been circling a win all season. He has six top-10 finishes and isn’t far removed from finishing third at the RBC Heritage and T-4 at the Cadillac Championship. Plus, he’s loved this place: T-15 (2025), T-13 (2024), and T-2 (2023) in his last three starts at TPC Craig Ranch. For a player who’s 11th in birdie average and 10th in scoring average, at a tournament that annually boasts a low winning score, this feels like the perfect spot for Si Woo to clip off a W.

Ryo Hisatsune (33/1)

Hisatsune has been one of the most consistent players to this point of the season. He hasn’t missed a cut since the Sony Open to start the year, and the last time the TOUR was in Texas, he tied for eighth at the Valero. Hisatsune missed the cut here last year after playing his first two rounds in even par, but he did tie for 13th in 2024. If he can make some putts, the rest of his game is plenty good enough right now to make a run.

Eric Cole (55/1)

Cole is coming off a T-6 performance at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, and in April, tied for 14th at the Valero Texas Open. In his last two starts at Craig Ranch, he finished T-23 in 2023 and T-5 a season ago. In a weaker field, outside of Scheffler of course, he has a chance to contend.