Before I discuss my Draftkings player selections for this week’s PGA Tour event let’s review where the first round of the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson will be played.

The 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson will be played at TPC Craig Ranch in Dallas, Texas. This track is a par 72 that measures approximately 7,468 yards.

*Taylor Pendrith won the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson with a four round cumulative score of 23 under par.

I wanted to emphasize that the purpose of this article is not to provide an exact DFS lineup.

Having stated that, this article will provide multiple player options in an effort to assist the reader in generating a unique lineup that will hopefully have the potential to win a DraftKings GPP (guaranteed prize pool) contest! Keep that in mind as you construct your lineups for this DFS slate.

For those readers that are not aware, the rules and scoring for DraftKings single round showdown contests are vastly different than the traditional classic contests offered by the platform.

If you need to review the specific rules for the single round showdown contests feel free to check out the DraftKings website.

Here are my DraftKings player selections for the first round of the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Draftkings CJ Cup Byron Nelson First Round Picks

Sam Burns $9,600

Two weeks ago, Sam Burns fired a final round 67 at the 2025 RBC Heritage en route to an eventual 13th place finish.

Sam Burns has posted a quality result at TPC Craig Ranch in the past. More specifically, Burns finished second at the 2021 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Si Woo Kim $9,400

Si Woo Kim has compiled five top 24 finishes in his last eight tournaments played on the PGA Tour, including a 12th place finish at the 2025 AT&T Pebble Pro-Am in January.

Kim also checks the box for me when it comes to key player statistics. Kim is currently ranked tenth in birdie or better percentage (25.42%), sixth in overall birdie average per round (4.5), 23rd in strokes gained around the green (0.331) and 25th in total average putts per round (1.563) on the PGA Tour.

Mackenzie Hughes $9,000

The talented Canadian arrives at this week’s event on the heels of two consecutive top ten finishes on the PGA Tour, including a tenth-place result at the 2025 Texas Children’s Houston Open last month.

Additionally, Hughes finishes 14th at the 2023 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Chad Ramey $7,100

Chad Ramey has compiled two top 18 finishes in his last three tournaments played on the PGA Tour, including an impressive fifth-place result at the 2025 Valero Texas Open earlier this month.

In summary, I fully expect Chad Ramey to continue his outstanding play in Thursday’s first round of the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Henrik Norlander $7,300

Henrik Norlander has accumulated four top 18 finishes in his last five events played on the PGA Tour, including a 12th result at the 2025 Valero Texas Open.

Due to Henrik Norlander’s quality finish at the 2025 Valero Texas Open I decided to take a hard look at the relevant player statistics for the event to determine how Norlander fared relative to the field.

Upon the completion of four rounds of competitive play at the 2025 Valero Texas Open, in relation to the field, Henrik Norlander ranked 17th in driving accuracy (53.6%), 15th in GIR (greens in regulation-59.7%) and third in bogey avoidance (9).

Additional golfers I like to perform well in the first round of the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (Draftkings price noted): Scottie Scheffler $13,700: Jordan Spieth $10,400: Ben Griffin $9,100: Stephan Jaeger $9,200: Ryan Gerard $8,900: Seamus Power $7,600.

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Before I dive into my Draftkings player selections for this tournament, let’s take a quick look at the golf course the field will play and the key player statistics that I think are the most vital to a player’s success at this week’s 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Where will the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson be played?

The 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson will be played at TPC Craig Ranch in Dallas, Texas. This track is a par 72 that measures approximately 7,468 yards.

Will the CJ Cup Byron Nelson have a traditional cut?

The 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson will have a field of 156 golfers to begin the event on Thursday. Upon the completion of two rounds of competitive play, a cut will be made. The top 65 golfers and ties will make the cut and move onto the third round. The remaining golfers will miss the cut.

CJ Cup Byron Nelson Key Player Statistics

• GIR (greens in regulation)
• Birdie or Better Percentage
• Strokes Gained: Approach
• Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
• Bogey Avoidance
• Strokes Gained: Putting

CJ Cup Byron Nelson Draftkings Picks

Scottie Scheffler $13,300

Since the beginning of January, Scottie Scheffler has played eight tournaments on the PGA Tour. In those eight events just noted, Scheffler compiled seven top 20 finishes, including a second-place result at the 2025 Texas Children’s Houston Open four weeks ago.

Scottie Scheffler certainly checks the box for me when it comes to key player statistics. Scheffler is currently ranked fourth in strokes gained approach (0.942), first in par four scoring average (3.90), second in overall strokes gained (1.911), eighth in GIR (greens in regulation-70.14%), sixth in strokes gained off the tee (0.624) and first in bogey avoidance (10.07%) on the PGA Tour.

It is noteworthy that Scheffler has posted a quality finish at this week’s PGA Tour event in the past. Scheffler finished fifth at the 2023 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Jordan Spieth $10,500

The talented American arrives at this week’s tournament on the heels of three consecutive top 18 finishes on this PGA Tour, including a 12th place result at the 2025 Valero Texas Open three weeks ago.

Spieth has performed well at this event multiple times. Let me be more specific. Since 2016, Jordan Spieth has played the CJ Cup Byron Nelson seven times. In those seven tournaments just mentioned, Spieth amassed five top 29 finishes, including a second-place result at the 2022 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Byeong Hun An $9,700

Byeong Hun An has accumulated three top 21 finishes in his last five events played on the PGA Tour, including a 16th place result at the 2025 Valspar Championship four weeks ago. I fully expect Hun An to continue his quality play at this week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Jake Knapp $8,400

Jake Knapp has compiled four top 27 finishes in his last six tournaments played on the PGA Tour, including an impressive 12th place result at the 2025 Players Championship last month.

Knapp is currently ranked third in total birdies made (190), 20th in strokes gained putting (0.486), 13th in par four birdie or better percentage (21.39%) and 13th in par five birdie or better percentage (53.75%) on the PGA Tour.

Additionally, Knapp finished eighth at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Additional golfers I like to perform well at this week’s PGA Tour event (Draftkings price noted): Sam Burns $9,800: Si Woo Kim $9,400: Ben Griffin $9,200: Davis Riley $7,200: Cam Davis $7,100.

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