The PGA Tour returns to the Lone Star State for its next event at the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Hosted at the newly renovated TPC Craig Ranch, this par-71 course is set for play against a field headlined by Dallas native and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
In 2025, Scheffler dominated TPC Craig Ranch. He was a wire-to-wire winner and set the 72-hole course record with a blazing -31-under-par final scorecard, beating the field by eight strokes. As a result, Scheffler is an extremely short betting favorite ahead of his return to McKinney, Texas, sitting at +155. For context, Si Woo Kim and Jordan Spieth are +1500 and +1600 in the outright winner betting market behind Scheffler.
My PGA Championship Longshots from Aronimink, unfortunately, didn’t include Aaron Rai, who won his first major at a lucrative 290-1 payout. My top prospect wound up being Patrick Reed at 80-1, posting -3-under-par to wind up with a T10 finish in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
In a field that’s getting dwarfed by Scheffler’s presence, there’s value on the board in the outright winner betting market at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. I’ve got three golfers to bet on with longshot odds who are capable of contending at renovated TPC Craig Ranch this week.
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2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson Picks & Predictions: PGA Longshots
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Kevin Yu (+12500)
The last time we saw Kevin Yu play in Texas, he carded a solo seventh-place finish at the 2026 Valero Texas Open. It was his best mark of the season, and now, Yu returns to TPC Craig Ranch, where he carded a T29 finish in 2025.
Notable ranks include 45th at finding greens in regulation (67.4%) and 31st in birdie average at 4.31 per round. TPC Craig Ranch historically turns into a birdie-fest, which sets Yu up nicely to log his second career win on the PGA Tour this week.
Mark Hubbard (+12500)
Mark Hubbard is coming off a solo runner-up finish at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic a couple of weeks ago. The 36-year-old is still seeking his first PGA Tour win but boasts a few quality metrics that could push him into contention at TPC Craig Ranch.
Hubbard’s last outing in McKinney, Texas, led to a T5 finish at -17 under par during the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson. In 2026, he’s ranked 76th in SG: Approach, including top-50 for approach shots from 200+ yards and 51st for sand save percentage.
There are a lot of pieces of Hubbard’s game that he needs to clean up, like his putting and off-the-tee game. However, at 125-1, coming off a runner-up in his last event and a T5 at the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Hubbard is worth a 0.25 unit flier.
Jhonattan Vegas (+12500)
Four-time PGA Tour winner, Jhonattan Vegas, is my final longshot play in this same 125-1 price range in the outright betting market this week. Vegas has played poorly since a T14 at the Houston Open back in March, which is why we’re landing such big value on his name.
The 41-year-old has a T9 and a T13 finish at this event in 2021 and 2025. Vegas also has plenty of power off-the-tee, averaging 306.8 yards per attempt with his driver, putting him 56th in driving distance on the PGA Tour this year.
Although it’s been ugly lately, a pair of top 20 finishes in March, plus historical course success, make me bullish enough to bite on Vegas as my final longshot golfer at the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.