CJ Cup Byron Nelson 2024 Tips: Three to follow in Texas

There is over $1.5million up for grabs for the winner of this week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson event on the PGA Tour – won last year by Australia’s Jason Day.

With Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy absent, this could be the ideal opportunity for those further down the rankings to boost their coffers and collect valuable FedEx Cup points.

TPC Craig Ranch in Texas is this week’s venue and the action will get underway on Thursday, 2nd May. The first group is due out at 7:45 am. ET (1:45 pm BST).

Low scores look likely in Texas

The last five winners in this event have all scored 20-under-par or better, with Day firing a four-round total of 261 last year.

Two-time winner Lee Kyoung-hoon holds the record for the lowest four-round score – the South Korean finishing on -26 in 2022. 

You have to go back to 2018 for the last American winner in this event, Aaron Wise, while Spain’s Sergio Garcia was the last European to take the title, back in 2016.

He may be still waiting for his maiden PGA Tour title but Englishman Aaron Rai has shown some good signs in recent weeks and is heading in the right direction.

The two-time winner on the DP World Tour finished T7 at the Houston Open in March and followed that up by making the cut at the Texas Open.

The 29-year-old partnered David Lipsky at the Zurich Classic and the pair fired an opening 61, before eventually finishing in a tie for 23rd.

Although Rai missed the cut by two shots in this event last year, he carded three sub-70 rounds in 2022 to claim a T46 finish at TPC Craig Ranch.

Despite having a frustrating season to date, Ryan Palmer’s previous form in this event gives him a chance of getting back on track this week.

The 47-year-old started last year’s Byron Nelson tournament with rounds of 64 and 65 and eventually finished T8.

In 2022, Palmer finished in a tie for fifth after finishing on -23, which included a second-round 62, as he finished three shots behind the winner.

Adam Scott has enjoyed a consistent season to date, with just one missed cut in seven PGA Tour events since the turn of the year.

Aside from that frustration at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Australian has four top-25 finishes and one top-10 finish to his name this season.

Scott will have a place in the Tour Championship in his sights, with a top-30 spot needed and the 43-year-old currently 64th in the FedEx Cup standings. 

The 2013 Masters champion has good memories of this event as well, finishing T8 in 2023 and T32 in 2022. Scott carded rounds of 63 on both the first and final days last year.