The Byron Nelson is a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

tournament in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

, currently hosted by TPC Craig Ranch in

McKinney McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas, United States. It is Collin County's third-largest city, after Plano, Texas, Plano and Frisco, Texas, Frisco. A suburb of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, McKinney is about ...

, northeast of

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. Held in May, it is one of two PGA Tour stops in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex – which until the 2020-21 PGA Tour, was the only metropolitan area to host two events on separate courses in the area (

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

have since hosted two events on two separate courses, both of which were pandemic-related changes). The tournament is the leading fundraiser for charity on the PGA Tour and has raised more than $143 million. For much of its history, it was the only PGA Tour stop named after a

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

, and remains one of only two such events, along with the

Arnold Palmer Invitational The Arnold Palmer Invitational is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played each March at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, a private golf resort owned since 1974 by Arnold Palmer in Bay Hill, a suburb southwest of Orlando, Florid ...

. As host,

Byron Nelson John Byron Nelson Jr. (February 4, 1912 – September 26, 2006) was an American professional golfer between 1935 and 1946, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time. Nelson and two other legendary champions of the time, Ben Hog ...

commonly made appearances during the tournament. It is hosted by the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, a 600-member civic organization, and has benefited the club's nonprofit Momentous Institute since its inception. For its first several decades, the tournament was played at various courses in Dallas. Nelson, a Texas native raised in

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, was the tournament's first winner in 1944, when it was played at Lakewood Country Club. The following year it was played at Dallas Country Club, and then in 1946 moved to Brook Hollow Golf Club. For the better part of the next decade the event was not contested, until two iterations of it were held in 1956, both at Preston Hollow Country Club. In 1957, the event moved to Glen Lake Country Club before it began a decade-long relationship with Oak Cliff Country Club, from 1958 to 1967. In

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, the event was renamed the Byron Nelson Golf Classic and its title, through a series of sponsors, has continuously included Nelson's name. That same year the event moved to Preston Trail Golf Club, where it was played through 1982, then moved to venues in Irving: Las Colinas Sports Club (1983–1985) and TPC at Las Colinas (1986–1993). Beginning in

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, the tournament was played at two courses, the Tournament Players Course and the Cottonwood Valley Course, both located at the Four Seasons. Previously only the TPC was used, but since the tournament was played in May (during the height of the

North Texas North Texas is a term used primarily by residents of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to refer to a geographic area of Texas, generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, Texas, Abilene, west of Paris, Texas, Par ...

storm season), the weather played havoc with the tournament in some years, causing several delays and shortened tournaments. Therefore, the decision was made to add the Cottonwood Valley course in order to shorten the amount of time needed to complete the first two rounds. The first two rounds were played on both courses (each player played one round on each course); after the cut was determined, the TPC is used exclusively for the final two rounds. However, in 2008 the tournament reverted to using only the TPC course, which was significantly renovated.

Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...

(HP) bought the previous title sponsor,

Electronic Data Systems Electronic Data Systems (EDS) Corporation was an American multinational corporation, multinational information technology equipment and services company headquartered in Plano, Texas, which was founded in 1962 by Ross Perot. The company was a s ...

(EDS) in mid-2008. The agreement ran through

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, with

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

becoming the title sponsor in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

. The tournament moved from the Four Seasons course in Irving to the new

Trinity Forest Golf Club Trinity Forest Golf Club is an 18-hole private golf club in the southern United States, located in Dallas, Texas. Southeast of downtown Dallas, the club was founded in 2014 and the course opened for play in autumn 2016. Built on a former landfill ...

, southeast of

downtown Dallas Downtown Dallas is the central business district (CBD) of Dallas, Texas, United States, located in the geographic center of the city. It is the second-largest business district in the state of Texas. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally ...

, in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. Not played in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, it moved north to TPC Craig Ranch in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

. In 2024,

CJ Group CJ Corporation (), doing business as CJ Group () or simply CJ, is a South Korean conglomerate holding company, operating internationally. It is one of the largest chaebol headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous businesses in ...

replaced AT&T as title sponsor under a ten-year agreement, rebranding it as the CJ Cup Byron Nelson (reusing a title previously used for a former fall event hosted in South Korea and later the aforementioned replacement events in Las Vegas and Savannah).

Tournament highlights

* 1956: Peter Thomson, a five-time winner of

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

shoots a final round 63, then makes birdie on the first two holes of sudden death to defeat

Gene Littler Gene Alec Littler (July 21, 1930 – February 15, 2019) was an American professional golfer and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Known for a solid temperament and nicknamed "Gene the Machine" for his smooth, rhythmical swing, he once sai ...

and

Cary Middlecoff Emmett Cary Middlecoff (January 6, 1921 – September 1, 1998) was an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour from 1947 to 1961. His 39 Tour wins place him tied for tenth all-time, and he won three major championships. Middlecoff graduated ...

. It was his one and only PGA Tour victory in the United States. * 1970:

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (; born January 21, 1940), nicknamed "the Golden Bear", is an American retired professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greate ...

defeated

Arnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Since embarking on a professional career in ...

in a sudden-death playoff. * 1976: Mark Hayes becomes the first wire-to-wire winner of the Nelson. * 1981:

Bruce Lietzke Bruce Alan Lietzke (July 18, 1951 – July 28, 2018) was an American professional golfer. He won 13 tournaments on the PGA Tour. His best finish in a major championship was runner-up at the 1991 PGA Championship. He also had seven victories ...

defeated Tom Watson in a playoff spoiling Watson's bid for a fourth straight Nelson triumph. * 1985:

Bob Eastwood Robert Fred Eastwood (born February 9, 1946) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous amateur and professional tournaments. Early life and amateur career Eastwood was born in Providence, Rhode Island, but spent most of his youth ...

defeated

Payne Stewart William Payne Stewart (January 30, 1957 – October 25, 1999) was an American professional golfer who won 11 PGA Tour events, including three major championships, the last of which came just a few months before his death in an airplane acciden ...

in a playoff after coming to the 72nd hole trailing Stewart by three shots. Eastwood made birdie on the final hole while Stewart made double bogey. Stewart made yet another double bogey on the first hole of sudden death to give Eastwood the title. * 1994:

Neal Lancaster Grady Neal Lancaster (born September 13, 1962) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. Lancaster was born, raised and makes his home in Smithfield, North Carolina. He turned ...

won the first ever six-player sudden death playoff in PGA Tour history. He made a birdie on the first playoff hole to defeat

Tom Byrum } Thomas Elliott Byrum (born September 28, 1960) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Early life and amateur career Byrum was born in Onida, South Dakota. His brother was Curt, a future PGA Tour pro ...

Mark Carnevale Mark Kevin Carnevale (May 21, 1960 – July 22, 2024) was an American professional golfer and commentator for Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio. He won once on the PGA Tour, also being awarded Rookie of the Year in 1992. Early life and amateur career C ...

, David Edwards,

Yoshi Mizumaki is a Japanese professional golfer. Mizumaki, graduate of Hosei University, played on the Japan Golf Tour, winning seven times. He also played on the PGA Tour in 1994 and 1995. His best finish was a tie for second (playoff loss to Neal Lancas ...

, and

David Ogrin David Ogrin (born December 31, 1957) is an American professional golfer. Ogrin was born and grew up in Waukegan, Illinois. He graduated from Waukegan East High School in 1976, then attended Texas A&M University, graduating in 1980 with a degree ...

. * 2005:

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins, PGA Tour wins, ranks second in List of men's major championships winning golfers, men's m ...

' record streak of 142 cuts made came to an end at this tournament. * 2006: After graduating from Q school,

Brett Wetterich Brett Milton Wetterich (born August 9, 1973) is an American professional golfer. Early life Wetterich was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Oak Hills High School and Wallace State Community College. Professional career In 1994, Wetteri ...

's win propels him to a surprise Ryder Cup appearance. * 2008: Australian Adam Scott sank a putt on the third playoff hole to clinch victory over American Ryan Moore. * 2010: At age 16,

Jordan Spieth Jordan Alexander Spieth (; born July 27, 1993) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour and former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is a three-time major winner and the 2015 FedEx Cup champion. Spieth's first m ...

(the defending U.S. Junior Amateur champion, and a student at nearby

Jesuit College Preparatory School Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas (commonly referred to as Jesuit Dallas or Dallas Jesuit, and formerly known as Jesuit High School) is a private, college-preparatory school for Single-sex school, young men under the direction of the ...

) became the youngest player to play in the tournament, courtesy of a sponsor's exemption (the first one granted since 1995). Spieth made the cut (becoming the sixth-youngest person in PGA Tour history to make a professional tour event cut) and finished in sixteenth place. (The next year, he was granted another sponsor's exemption, made the cut, and finished in 32nd place.) * 2013:

Keegan Bradley Keegan Hansen Bradley (born June 7, 1986) is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour. He has won seven tour events, most notably the 2011 PGA Championship. He is one of six golfers to win in his major debut, along with Ben ...

hits a course-record 60 (−10) in the first round, leads after each of the first three rounds, but

Bae Sang-moon Bae Sang-moon (; born 21 June 1986), or Sang-moon Bae, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Professional career Bae turned professional in 2004. He won the 2006 Emerson Pacific Group Open on the Korean Tour, and in ...

earned the win. * 2018: Aaron Wise sets the tournament record. * 2019: Kang Sung-hoon won his first PGA Tour title in his 159th start.

Scott Piercy Scott Piercy (born November 6, 1978) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early life Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Piercy played college golf at San Diego State and turned professional after graduation in 2001. ...

went bogey-free for the entire tournament, becoming the first to do so in a 72-hole PGA Tour event since

Charles Howell III Charles Gordon Howell III (born June 20, 1979) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on LIV Golf and formerly on the PGA Tour. He has been featured in the top 15 of the Official World Golf Ranking and ranked 9th on the PGA Tour m ...

at the 2010

Greenbrier Classic The Greenbrier Classic was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held from 2010 to 2019 at The Old White at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. For its final two editions, the tournament was titled A Military Tribute at the Gree ...

Winners

''Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.''
Sources:2012 HP Byron Nelson Championship Media Guide
/ref>

Multiple winners

Seven players have won this tournament more than once through 2023. *4 wins ** Tom Watson: 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980 *3 wins **

Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead (; May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for the better part of four decades (having won PGA of America and Senior PGA Tour events over six decades) an ...

: 1945, 1957, 1958 *2 wins **

: 1970, 1971 **

: 1981, 1988 **

Sergio García Sergio García Fernández (; born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer. He turned professional in 1999 and played on the European Tour and PGA Tour prior to joining LIV Golf in 2022. García has won 36 international tournaments as ...

: 2004, 2016 **

Lee Kyoung-hoon Lee Kyoung-hoon (; born 24 August 1991), also known as K. H. Lee, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He won the 2021 and 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson. Professional career Lee turned professional in 2010 and joined the O ...

: 2021, 2022 **

Jason Day Jason Anthony Day (born 12 November 1987) is an Australian professional golfer. Day had early success as a professional, earning PGA Tour membership in his teens and winning an event in his third season, the HP Byron Nelson Championship. In 20 ...

: 2010, 2023

Notes

References

External links