5 big name golfers to watch at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson 2025 ft. Scottie Scheffler

The 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson is set to be held at the challenging TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. The Signature Event will see the PGA Tour's top golfers compete for a slice of the $9.9 million purse prize.

This tournament is the last contributing event for next week's Truist Championship and is also a qualifying event for the next Major championship, the PGA Championship. The 156-man field includes the World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, who is the fan favorite to win as a Texas native.

Here's a look at five of golf's biggest players to watch at the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (via PGA Tour):

#1. Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler, RBC Heritage (Image via Imagn)

Scottie Scheffler is playing the CJ Cup Byron Nelson for the first time since 2023. This week will mark his sixth appearance at the tournament. Having played at the TPC Craig Ranch three times, he has recorded finishes of T47, T15, and T5 in the past.

The World No. 1 golfer is yet to win his first tournament of the PGA Tour's 2025 season. However, Scheffler shows great promise to emerge victorious at this week's CJ Cup Byron Nelson. In 8 tournament starts so far, he has placed inside the top 25 on all occasions with five top-10 finishes. According to the PGA Tour, the Texas native bears odds of +280 to win.

#2. Si Woo Kim

Si Woo Kim, RBC Heritage (Image via Imagn)

Si Woo Kim has shown incredible promise in the past editions of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The South Korean golfer tied for 13th place in 2024 and tied for second place in the year prior. Kim has an impressive scoring average of 66.125 for the upcoming event.

The PGA Tour star's tournament finishes have improved as the season has progressed. In 13 events, Si Woo Kim has made the cut on 8 occasions with 5 top 25 finishes. The recent RBC Heritage saw him tie for 8th place with a 12 under par score.

#3. Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth, RBC Heritage (Image via Getty)

Jordan Spieth has recorded consistent finishes at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson since 2021. His best finish was a tie for 9th place in 2021 and worst was a tie for 18th place. According to the PGA Tour, the American golfer boasts odds of +1800 to win.

The American golfer has been on a streak of top 18 finishes over the last three torunaments. Heading into the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Jordan Spieth bears a scoring average of 70.44 with a low round of 65. All of his strokes gained metrics are in the positive range. Spieth ranks 31st in the PGA Tour in total strokes gained with a stat of +0.695.

#4. Taylor Pendrith

Taylor Pendrith, Masters Tournament (Image via Imagn)

Taylor Pendrith is the defending champion of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Having debuted on the PGA Tour in 2022, he captured his lone title during last year's edition of the event after a 54-hole lead.

The Canadian golfer has recorded seven top 10 finishes since his victory. Looking at his stats, he displays great performance off the tee and in approaches. However, he lacks in playing around the green. Apart from strokes gained around the green, Pendrith's other strokes gained metrics are in the positive range. He is the second best player on the circuit off the tee with a strokes gained figure of +0.702.

#5. Nicolai Hojgaard

Nicolai Hojgaard, Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Image via Imagn)

Nicolai Hojgaard heads into the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson in great standing. He displayed remarkable skills at last week's Zurich Classic of New Orleans which contributed to a team second place finish along with his brother Rasmus.

With two top-10 finishes this season, the Denmark native is still on the hunt for his maiden career win. Hojgaard is one of the world's best putters with a rank of 10th. He shows impecable skills around the green which aid in a high birdie conversion rate.

About the author

Lathika is one of the newer additions to Sportskeeda’s budding golf journalism team and has brought plenty of in-game experience to the role. Having been a golfer for over 12 years now, some of her crowning achievements include winning titles on the Indian Golf Union Ladies tour and Junior Girls Amateur tour.

She currently competes in Division 1 golf in New York, and hopes to play in the U.S. Open and Chevron Championship one day. She is set to cover the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management, and holds a Sports Marketing certification from Northwestern University, which helped her learn to draft press releases and ultimately transition into journalism.

Lathika has thus developed a knowledge base that allows her to view golf from both player, spectator and media lenses, enabling her to bring statistics, insights and an understanding of fan emotion together in her copies. She only uses verified information from reliable sources like the PGA TOUR.

Her favorite golfers are Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods, both for their playing style as well as their mental strength. Much of her time away from work is spent playing golf, but she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and learning new hobbies or upskilling.

Know More

Edited by Pratham K Sharma