After four grueling days at Aronimink Golf Club, the field should receive a well-earned reprieve at TPC Craig Ranch this week for THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.The last five years have boasted an average winning score of 25.6 strokes under par. Even with a recent renovation, birdies will be coming in bunches and pars have lost their value.

The field is headlined by Scottie Scheffler, who is +150 to win this event. That is not a typo. Scottie Scheffler is nearly even money to win a full-field PGA TOUR event before the first tee shot has been hit. I’ve been tracking golf odds for years, and I can safely say that we haven’t seen anything like this since Tiger Woods was in his prime.

With Scheffler sucking up all the oxygen at the top of the board, there are only three golfers currently listed with odds shorter than +2500. That’s a stark contrast from last week, when we opened with eight golfers at +2000 or shorter. With scoring conditions likely to be pristine and a board full of long shots, it may be logical to embrace a little chaos this week. Here are some viable options, with odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.

This season’s “Close but no cigar” award must go to Si Woo Kim. He has five top-five finishes this year, the most of anyone on TOUR without a victory to show for his efforts. The results have been thanks to his elite ball-striking prowess. He’s gaining more than a stroke per round to the field in the two major strokes gained categories – SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Approach.

His ability to hit the fairway at a rate of 69.9% puts him inside the top five of the most accurate drivers on the PGA TOUR. With a high “cost of rough” at TPC Craig Ranch, that skill set will certainly be valuable.

He makes birdie on roughly 25% of the holes he plays, which is a top-25 rate of anyone on TOUR and much better than that in this field. It’s no surprise that Kim has three straight top-15 finishes at TPC Craig Ranch, but I’m expecting even more from him this week. He’s my pick to win THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, with odds currently +1250 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The stat profile for Brooks Koepka has to give you optimism, despite the fact that he’s struggled mightily with the putter. It’s been a tale of two sides for Koepka: his ability to get to the greens vs. his ability to get it in the hole once he’s there.

From tee-to-green, it’s no problem. Koepka leads the TOUR in SG: Approach, and he’s ranked inside the top 30 in driving distance. He’s mashing the ball and showing elite precision with his irons. However, he’s 149th in SG: Putting with only 166 qualified players. Not only is he missing putts that his peers are making, but he’s three-putting more frequently as well.

Despite the concerns, he’s still clearly one of the top-tier options in this field. His top-five market is the most appealing to me, where he is currently listed at +425.

Blades Brown has been bouncing back and forth between the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA TOUR this year with solid results on both circuits. He’s produced six different top-20 finishes, including each of his last two starts – the Colonial Life Charity Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour and the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic on the PGA TOUR.

He’s flashed upside on both tours, earning a solo third at the Puerto Rico Open, a solo third at the Club Car Championship and a runner-up at the Tulum Championship. He’s clearly one of the most talented players in this field, even if he is a little raw and lacking consistency. I want to tap into that upside, which is why the top-10 market for Brown is my preferred pathway – listed at +650 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

There may be a case to be made that not playing in the PGA Championship last week will be a benefit. Four days of grueling golf in Philadelphia with a quick turnaround might behoove those who didn’t tee it up at the second major of the year. If that narrative rings true, it could benefit Tom Kim. Obviously, Kim would have preferred to qualify for the PGA Championship, but he’s rounding into form for the first time in 2026.

He’s gained strokes on approach in six of his last seven measured events and finished T6 at ONEflight Myrtle Beach in his last start. He gained a staggering 8.7 strokes from tee-to-green that week, which is seriously impressive. Kim has been grinding his way back into form, and a top-20 finish this week is a reasonable result. That can be found at +196 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

There’s no better synergy for Hayden Springer who graduated from Byron Nelson High School but that’s not the only thing he has going for him. In ten starts across the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR, Springer has made the cut in all of them. Three of his last four events have returned three top-25 finishes, including his T2 at the Zurich Classic with Alex Smalley.

He doesn’t have a lot of Strokes Gained data this year, but when measured, he’s proving to be an accomplished driver of the ball who can give himself a lot of opportunities. There’s no doubt that he will need to improve his putting to contend on a weekly basis, but his current stat profile is good enough to consider him for a top-20, at +400.

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