Scottie Scheffler Admits PGA Tour Decisions Are "Out of My Control" at CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Ryder Cup 2025 Scottie Scheffler Team USA during Friday Afternoon Fourballs at the 2025 Ryder Cup, Bethpage Black Golf Course, Farmingdale, New York, USA. 26/09/25 Picture: Golffile Stefano Di Maria All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit Golffile Stefano Di Maria Farmingdale Bethpage Balck Golf Course New York USA Copyright: xStefanoxDixMariax *EDI*,
Ryder Cup 2025 Scottie Scheffler Team USA during Friday Afternoon Fourballs at the 2025 Ryder Cup, Bethpage Black Golf Course, Farmingdale, New York, USA. 26/09/25 Picture: Golffile Stefano Di Maria All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit Golffile Stefano Di Maria Farmingdale Bethpage Balck Golf Course New York USA Copyright: xStefanoxDixMariax *EDI*,
Scottie Scheffler addressed the uncertain future of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Tuesday. The World No. 1 admitted PGA Tour scheduling remains entirely out of his hands.
Speaking at his pre-tournament press conference on May 20 at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, the defending CJ Cup Byron Nelson champion addressed a direct question about the event's future status on the PGA Tour schedule.
"A lot of that stuff's out of my control," Scheffler said. "If the Tour wants my opinion, I have nothing but great things to say about this event."
May 21, 2026; McKinney, Texas, USA; Brooks Koepka shakes hands with Si Woo Kim following their round on the ninth green during the first round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
May 21, 2026; McKinney, Texas, USA; Brooks Koepka shakes hands with Si Woo Kim following their round on the ninth green during the first round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
The question came after TPC Craig Ranch underwent major renovations following last year's tournament, which Scheffler won wire to wire by eight shots. The redesign, led by Lanny Wadkins, focused on the course's bunkering and greens.
Scheffler had already played the redesigned layout before arriving this week. His assessment was clear. "I think tee-to-green it is definitely better than what it was before," he said. "I think it's a more interesting test."
Scheffler remained direct about the event's tier placement sitting outside his control.
"Mr. Nelson means a lot to a lot of us from the Dallas area. Being able to play here and compete in this tournament is the tournament I grew up dreaming of having a chance to play in," Scheffler said.
The Salesmanship Club of Dallas, which runs the event, also earned praise from Scheffler, who noted the tournament has successfully relocated multiple times, from Las Colinas to Trinity to Craig Ranch.
Scottie Scheffler Says New Greens at TPC Craig Ranch Could Lead to Lower Scores
He believes the new greens do more than make the course more interesting, giving tournament officials greater control over how difficult the winning score will be to reach.
"If they wanted the winning score here to be 5- to 10-under par, I think they could do it if they wanted to, just based on where they put the pins," he said.
He said the course now plays very differently compared to last year. Some greens have strong slopes, and even small changes in pin positions could make scoring much easier or much harder from one round to another.
"I doubt it gets that low again, but you never know," Scheffler said. "A lot of it just comes down to setup."
What Scheffler was certain about is that the real test at TPC Craig Ranch now lies on and around the greens. The tee-to-green product is better, but the putting surfaces and pin placements will decide this championship.
Round 1 at TPC Craig Ranch on May 21 put that idea to the test. Scheffler shot a 66, leaving him four shots behind Taylor Moore, who fired a 9-under 62 to lead the field.
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Written by
Sneha Abraham
Edited by
Pulkit Prabhav