Horse For The Course: PGA DFS Course History - 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

April 29, 2025

Todd McGill's DraftKings, FanDuel PGA DFS picks for the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch. Picks for daily fantasy golf based on course history

It was a fun week of team golf in the Bayou, where Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin held on to each capture their first career PGA Tour victories. One-off events like the Zurich Classic are a good way to break up the monotony of weekly individual formats, especially when most of the game's biggest stars are not in the field. Although it never hurts to have the star team of McIlroy and Lowry hanging around the lead on Sunday to boost excitement and ratings. Regardless of your thoughts about TPC Louisiana, the finishing stretch of that course has done well to provide captivating moments.

The Tour is back to its regularly scheduled programming in Texas for the CJ Cup at TPC Craig Ranch this week, as the year's second major is two weeks away. Moving to this course in 2021, there isn't as much history to draw from here as at other venues, and given its continued drop in popularity, how long it will remain on the schedule is a legitimate question.

Horse For The Course is an article highlighting players in this week's field with elite course history and is part of our free PGA DFS content here at RotoBaller. For some of the favorite DFS plays of the week, check out the Core Four article written by my buddy, Joe Nicely, here at RotoBaller every Wednesday. It's part of our amazing PGA Premium package that includes an all-new PGA Research Station, Lineup Builder & Optimizer, and some of the best articles in the PGA DFS industry! You can sign up now using the Promo Code TDG for an extra discount at checkout!

2025 CJ Cup

Scottie Scheffler, who is still searching for his first victory this season, will headline this year's field. However, don't let the bright name fool you, because the star power is weak otherwise, with only one other player inside the top 35 in the world (Sungjae Im) making the start.

The placement in the Tour schedule is likely the biggest reason for the weaker fields than anything else, as TPC Craig Ranch has done an excellent job creating exciting finishes, with each of the last three winners doing so by one stroke. It is also a birdie fest, with the winning score being -23 under par or more every year the event has been played here.

Especially with the absence of more of the upper-echelon players, this week's tournament will hold significant value for those lower on the totem pole, as this will be the last chance to crack the Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5 standings before next week's Truist Championship.

You can find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report weekly. And be sure to read our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS articles and Player News/Matchup Outlook Posts to help you win big!

TPC Craig Ranch

Par 72 - 7,569 | Greens: Bentgrass | Designed By: Tom Weiskopf

Opening in 2004, TPC Craig Ranch has always been a spot for big-time golf. The Korn Ferry Tour hosted its Tour Championship here in 2008 and 2012 before becoming the home of this event in 2021. However, the talented players of the PGA Tour have had their way with this property. Last year, this layout ranked the easiest among all 18 par-71 courses on the schedule, with a scoring average of 68.49.

Recent lengthening additions to five holes have made a driver-heavy course even more reliant on that skill, although it is more from an accuracy point of view than a distance one, which seems wrong on a course this long. It allows guys to play to a strength of either being long or accurate off the tee, but they'd better at least have one of those attributes working in their favor.

The course is set to undergo a rather deep renovation project by Lanny Wadkins following the playing of this year's tournament. The plan is to convert to a bermudagrass variant called TifTuf on all tees, fairways, and rough areas that will be more resistant to the heat and stronger against wear and tear.

Recent CJ Cup Winners

• 2024: Taylor Pendrith (-23)
• 2023: Jason Day (-23)
• 2022: K.H. Lee (-26)
• 2021: K.H. Lee (-25)

The Horse

Jordan Speith

• Notable Finishes: 2nd ('22), T9 ('21)

This may seem a little far-fetched given the stretch of golf since his solo second here in 2022, but the true total strokes gained at TPC Craig Ranch for Jordan Spieth (+1.93) is the highest in the field for anyone with at least five rounds played. A Texas native, he has found comfort in nearly every venue in his home state.

The 31-year-old has posted solid finishes lately, with a top 20 and two top 15s in his last three starts, which include a major and a Signature Event. Given his past on this layout and current form, he is a fine play this week.

The Ponies

Byeong Hun An

• Notable Finishes: T4 ('24), T14 ('23)

Byeong Hun An hits an exceptional shot from 208 yards to right in front of the cup on 6. 🤯🔥

📺 Golf Channel 📱 NBC Sports app | #PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/yLjY6Hukxl

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 27, 2024

The aggressive manner in which Beyong Hun An plays the game may get him in trouble at many places on the PGA Tour, but his strategy has worked well at TPC Craig Ranch. He rode his length off the tee last year to a top-five finish, and the added length to the course only works in his favor.

Things have turned around for him of late, after dealing with a sick putter in the earlier rounds of the season. Posting finishes of T38-T21-T16 over his last three starts. If the driver cooperates again, look for Ben An to at least keep the decent finishes going.

Scottie Scheffler

• Notable Finishes: T5 ('24), T15 ('22)

"He's the weirdest person I know."

Meredith Scheffler describing Scottie. 😂 pic.twitter.com/MVl0B1HalR

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 7, 2025

These articles seemingly aren't complete without talking about Scottie Scheffler somewhere in them. He is a little further down the page than at most other places due to his putting, which has been a sore spot on all three previous starts. He is another Texas native who has quite the knack for getting himself in the mix in his home state.

His winless drought in 2025 has been frequently discussed by what feels like everyone at this point, and this will certainly be the most getable field he'll play against all year. It's only a matter of time before Scheffler gets another win, and this week presents a glowing opportunity.

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Si Woo Kim

• Notable Finishes: T2 ('23), T13 ('24)

Si Woo Kim stays rolling at Harbour Town. 👀🔥

📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/Svty6B37SO

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) April 19, 2025

After taking a few years to learn the layout of TPC Craig Ranch, Si Woo Kim has found success recently, especially in the ball-striking area. His two quality finishes in the last two seasons have come from solid approach play, a part of his game that hasn't been nearly as effective in 2025.

Kim's near victory in 2023 was largely due to a great week on the greens, which doesn't happen often for the South Korean. Coming off a T8 at the RBC Heritage, he'll be an interesting name to watch for this week if the game can translate any from the much different layout of Harbour Town.

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