The Byron Nelson

(Redirected from Byron Nelson Classic)

The Byron Nelson is a golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, currently hosted by TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, northeast of Dallas. 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 and Savannah 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.[2] For much of its history, it was the only PGA Tour stop named after a professional golfer, and remains one of only two such events, along with the Arnold Palmer Invitational. As host, Byron Nelson (1912–2006) 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.[3][citation needed]

The Byron Nelson
Tournament information
LocationMcKinney, Texas
Established1944[1]
Course(s)TPC Craig Ranch
Par72
Length7,468 yards (6,829 m)
Organized bySalesmanship Club of Dallas
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$9,500,000
Month playedMay
Tournament record score
Aggregate261 Rory Sabbatini (2009)
261 Aaron Wise (2018)
261 Kang Sung-hoon (2019)
261 Jason Day (2023)
To par−26 Lee Kyoung-hoon (2022)
Current champion
Canada Taylor Pendrith
Location map
TPC Craig Ranch is located in the United States
TPC Craig Ranch
TPC Craig Ranch
Location in the United States
TPC Craig Ranch is located in Texas
TPC Craig Ranch
TPC Craig Ranch
Location in Texas

For its first several decades, the tournament was played at various courses in Dallas. Nelson, a Texas native raised in Fort Worth, was the tournament's first winner in 1944,[4] 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, the event was renamed the Byron Nelson Golf Classic[5][6] 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,[6] 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 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 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 (HP) bought the previous title sponsor, Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in mid-2008.[7] The agreement ran through 2014, with AT&T becoming the title sponsor in 2015.[8] The tournament moved from the Four Seasons course in Irving to the new Trinity Forest Golf Club, southeast of downtown Dallas, in 2018.[9] Not played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it moved north to TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney in 2021. In 2024, CJ Group 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 early-season event hosted in South Korea).[10][11]

Tournament highlights

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  • 1956: Peter Thomson, a five-time winner of The Open Championship shoots a final round 63, then makes birdie on the first two holes of sudden death to defeat Gene Littler and Cary Middlecoff. It was his one and only PGA Tour victory in the United States.[12]
  • 1976: Mark Hayes becomes the first wire to wire winner of the Nelson.[13]
  • 1981: Bruce Lietzke defeated Tom Watson in a playoff spoiling Watson's bid for a 4th straight Nelson triumph.[14]
  • 1985: Bob Eastwood defeated Payne Stewart 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.[15]
  • 1994: Neal Lancaster 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, Mark Carnevale, David Edwards, Yoshi Mizumaki, and David Ogrin.[16]
  • 2005: Tiger Woods' record streak of 142 cuts made came to an end at this tournament.
  • 2006: After graduating from Q school, Brett Wetterich's win propels him to a surprise Ryder Cup appearance.
  • 2008: Australian Adam Scott sank a 48-foot putt on the third playoff hole to clinch victory over American Ryan Moore.
  • 2010: At age 16, Jordan Spieth (the defending U.S. Junior Amateur champion, and a student at nearby Jesuit College Preparatory School) became the youngest player to play in the tournament, courtesy of a sponsor's exemption (the first one granted since 1995). Spieth would make the cut (becoming the sixth-youngest person in PGA Tour history to make a professional tour event cut) and finish 16th overall. (In 2011 Spieth would again be granted a sponsor's exemption and would again make the cut, finishing 32nd overall.)
  • 2013: Keegan Bradley hits a course-record 60 (−10) in the first round. Bradley leads the first three rounds, but Bae Sang-moon earned the win.[17]
  • 2018: Aaron Wise sets the tournament record.
  • 2019: Kang Sung-hoon won his first PGA Tour title in his 159th start. Scott Piercy went bogey-free for the entire tournament, becoming the first to do so in a 72-hole PGA Tour event since Charles Howell III at the 2010 Greenbrier Classic.

Winners

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Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Purse
(US$)
Winner's
share ($)
Ref.
CJ Cup Byron Nelson
2024   Taylor Pendrith 261 −23 1 stroke   Ben Kohles 9,500,000 1,710,000
AT&T Byron Nelson
2023   Jason Day (2) 261 −23 1 stroke   Austin Eckroat
  Kim Si-woo
9,500,000 1,710,000
2022   Lee Kyoung-hoon (2) 262 −26 1 stroke   Jordan Spieth 9,100,000 1,638,000
2021   Lee Kyoung-hoon 263 −25 3 strokes   Sam Burns 8,100,000 1,458,000
2020 Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [18]
2019   Kang Sung-hoon 261 −23 2 strokes   Matt Every
  Scott Piercy
7,900,000 1,422,000
2018   Aaron Wise 261 −23 3 strokes   Marc Leishman 7,700,000 1,386,000
2017   Billy Horschel 268 −12 Playoff   Jason Day 7,500,000 1,350,000
2016   Sergio García (2) 265 −15 Playoff   Brooks Koepka 7,300,000 1,314,000
2015   Steven Bowditch 259[a] −18 4 strokes   Charley Hoffman
  Scott Pinckney
  Jimmy Walker
7,100,000 1,278,000
HP Byron Nelson Championship
2014   Brendon Todd 266 −14 2 strokes   Mike Weir 6,900,000 1,242,000
2013   Bae Sang-moon 267 −13 2 strokes   Keegan Bradley 6,700,000 1,206,000
2012   Jason Dufner 269 −11 1 stroke   Dicky Pride 6,500,000 1,170,000
2011   Keegan Bradley 277 −3 Playoff   Ryan Palmer 6,500,000 1,170,000
2010   Jason Day 270 −10 2 strokes   Blake Adams
  Brian Gay
  Jeff Overton
6,500,000 1,170,000
2009   Rory Sabbatini 261 −19 2 strokes   Brian Davis 6,500,000 1,170,000
EDS Byron Nelson Championship
2008   Adam Scott 273 −7 Playoff   Ryan Moore 6,400,000 1,152,000
2007   Scott Verplank 267 −13 1 stroke   Luke Donald 6,300,000 1,134,000
2006   Brett Wetterich 268 −12 1 stroke   Trevor Immelman 6,200,000 1,116,000
2005   Ted Purdy 265 −15 1 stroke   Sean O'Hair 6,200,000 1,116,000
2004   Sergio García 270 −10 Playoff   Robert Damron
  Dudley Hart
5,800,000 1,044,000
2003   Vijay Singh 265 −15 2 strokes   Nick Price 5,600,000 1,008,000
Verizon Byron Nelson Classic
2002   Shigeki Maruyama 266 −14 2 strokes   Ben Crane 4,800,000 864,000
2001   Robert Damron 263 −17 Playoff   Scott Verplank 4,500,000 810,000
GTE Byron Nelson Classic
2000   Jesper Parnevik 269 −11 Playoff   Davis Love III
  Phil Mickelson
4,000,000 720,000
1999   Loren Roberts 262 −18 Playoff   Steve Pate 3,000,000 540,000
GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic
1998   John Cook 265 −15 3 strokes   Fred Couples
  Harrison Frazar
  Hal Sutton
2,500,000 450,000
1997   Tiger Woods 263 −17 2 strokes   Lee Rinker 1,800,000 324,000
1996   Phil Mickelson 265 −15 2 strokes   Craig Parry 1,500,000 270,000
1995   Ernie Els 263 −17 3 strokes   Robin Freeman
  Mike Heinen
  D. A. Weibring
1,300,000 234,000
1994   Neal Lancaster 132[b] −9 Playoff   Tom Byrum
  Mark Carnevale
  David Edwards
  Yoshi Mizumaki
  David Ogrin
1,200,000 216,000
1993   Scott Simpson 270 −10 1 stroke   Billy Mayfair
  Corey Pavin
  D. A. Weibring
1,200,000 216,000
1992   Billy Ray Brown 199[c] −11 Playoff   Ben Crenshaw
  Raymond Floyd
  Bruce Lietzke
1,100,000 198,000
1991   Nick Price 270 −10 1 stroke   Craig Stadler 1,100,000 198,000
1990   Payne Stewart 202[c] −8 2 strokes   Lanny Wadkins 1,000,000 180,000
1989   Jodie Mudd 265 −15 Playoff   Larry Nelson 1,000,000 180,000
1988   Bruce Lietzke (2) 271 −9 Playoff   Clarence Rose 750,000 135,000
Byron Nelson Golf Classic
1987   Fred Couples 266 −14 Playoff   Mark Calcavecchia 600,000 108,000
1986   Andy Bean 269 −11 1 stroke   Mark Wiebe 600,000 108,000
1985   Bob Eastwood 272 −8 Playoff   Payne Stewart 500,000 90,000
1984   Craig Stadler 276 −8 1 stroke   David Edwards 500,000 90,000
1983   Ben Crenshaw 273 −7 1 stroke   Brad Bryant
  Hal Sutton
400,000 72,000
1982   Bob Gilder 266 −14 5 strokes   Curtis Strange 350,000 63,000
1981   Bruce Lietzke 281 +1 Playoff   Tom Watson 300,000 54,000
1980   Tom Watson (4) 274 −6 1 stroke   Bill Rogers 300,000 54,000
1979   Tom Watson (3) 275 −5 Playoff   Bill Rogers 300,000 54,000
1978   Tom Watson (2) 272 −8 1 stroke   Lee Trevino 200,000 40,000
1977   Raymond Floyd 276 −8 2 strokes   Ben Crenshaw 200,000 40,000
1976   Mark Hayes 273 −11 2 strokes   Don Bies 200,000 40,000
1975   Tom Watson 269 −15 2 strokes   Bob E. Smith 175,000 35,000
1974   Buddy Allin 269 −15 4 strokes   Homero Blancas
  Charles Coody
  Lee Trevino
  Tom Watson
150,000 30,000
1973   Lanny Wadkins 277 −3 Playoff   Dan Sikes 150,000 30,000
1972   Chi-Chi Rodríguez 273 −7 Playoff   Billy Casper 125,000 25,000
1971   Jack Nicklaus (2) 274 −6 2 strokes   Frank Beard
  Jerry McGee
125,000 25,000
1970   Jack Nicklaus 274 −6 Playoff   Arnold Palmer 100,000 20,000
1969   Bruce Devlin 277 −3 1 stroke   Frank Beard
  Bruce Crampton
100,000 20,000
1968   Miller Barber 270 −10 1 stroke   Kermit Zarley 100,000 20,000
Dallas Open Invitational
1967   Bert Yancey 274 −10 1 stroke   Roberto De Vicenzo
  Kermit Zarley
100,000 20,000
1966   Roberto De Vicenzo 276 −8 1 stroke   Joe Campbell
  Raymond Floyd
  Harold Henning
85,000 15,000
1965: No tournament
1964   Charles Coody 271 −13 1 stroke   Jerry Edwards 40,000 5,800
1963: No tournament
1962   Billy Maxwell 277 −3 4 strokes   Johnny Pott 35,000 5,300
1961   Earl Stewart 278 −6 1 stroke   Gay Brewer
  Arnold Palmer
  Doug Sanders
30,000 4,300
1960   Johnny Pott 275 −5 Playoff   Ted Kroll
  Bo Wininger
25,000 3,500
1959   Julius Boros 274 −10 1 stroke   Dow Finsterwald
  Earl Stewart
  Bo Wininger
25,000 3,500
1958   Sam Snead (3) 272 −8 Playoff   Julius Boros
  John McMullin
  Gary Player
25,000 3,500
1957   Sam Snead (2) 264 −20 10 strokes   Bob Inman
  Billy Maxwell
  Cary Middlecoff
40,000 8,000 [19]
Texas International Open
1956
(Jun)
  Peter Thomson 267 −13 Playoff   Gene Littler
  Cary Middlecoff
70,000 13,478 [20]
Dallas Centennial Open
1956
(May)
  Don January 268 −12 1 stroke   Dow Finsterwald
  Doug Ford
30,000 6,000 [21]
1947-1955: No tournament
Dallas Invitational
1946   Ben Hogan 284 +4 2 strokes   Herman Keiser
  Paul Runyan
10,000 2,000 [22]
Dallas Open
1945   Sam Snead 276 −12 4 strokes   Jug McSpaden 10,000 2,000 [23]
Texas Victory Open
1944   Byron Nelson 276 −8 10 strokes   Jug McSpaden 10,000 2,000 [24]

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Sources:[4][25][26][27]

Multiple winners

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Seven players have won this tournament more than once through 2023.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The par for the final three rounds was lowered to 69 due to course flooding; the 14th hole was converted to a par 3. Aggregate score not considered as an official record.
  2. ^ Shortened to 36 holes due to weather.
  3. ^ a b Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

References

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  1. ^ History Archived May 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Byron Nelson | Texas Golf Hall of Fame". www.texasgolfhof.org. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  3. ^ Our Charity Archived October 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b 2012 HP Byron Nelson Championship Media Guide
  5. ^ "Tourney named for Lord Byron". Schenectady Gazette. New York. UPI. April 23, 1968. p. 22.
  6. ^ a b "Byron Nelson Classic in color from Dallas". Schenectady Gazette. New York. April 27, 1968. p. 7, TV.
  7. ^ "HP becomes new sponsor of Byron Nelson Championship". PGA Tour. October 2, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  8. ^ Nichols, Bill (May 11, 2013). "Nichols: Byron Nelson's new home should be ready when the contract with TPC expires in 2018". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  9. ^ Durrett, Richard (May 15, 2013). "Byron Nelson plots 2019 move". ESPN. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  10. ^ Schupak, Adam (May 3, 2024). "CJ Cup Byron Nelson's title sponsor brings new flavor to a beloved local institution". Golfweek. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Jennings, Randy (April 28, 2024). "Byron Nelson tournament offers 'something for everybody' in new CJ Group sponsorship era". Dallas News. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  12. ^ Australian Thomson Texas Open Champ
  13. ^ Wire To Wire, It's Hayes
  14. ^ Lietzke holds off Watson
  15. ^ Eastwood takes playoff victory
  16. ^ Journeyman golfer wins big playoff
  17. ^ Hawkins, Stephen (May 20, 2013). "Sang-Moon wins the HP Byron Nelson Championship". PGA of America. Associated Press. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  18. ^ "PGA Tour statement regarding additional tournament cancellations". PGA Tour. March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  19. ^ "Sam Sneads Wins Dallas Tourney By 10 Strokes". Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. Associated Press. September 16, 1957. p. 9. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  20. ^ "Peter Thomson Wins His First U.S. Golf Match". The Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. June 4, 1956. p. 5. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  21. ^ "Don January Eyes Second Big Golf Prize". The Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. May 28, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  22. ^ "Little Ben Hogan Takes Dallas Open". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Lewiston, Maine. Associated Press. September 30, 1946. p. 12. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  23. ^ "Sammy Snead Wins Dallas Open Golf". Lodi News-Sentinel. Lodi, California. United Press. September 10, 1945. p. 3. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  24. ^ "Nelson Adda To Bankings". San Jose Evening News. San Jose, California. International News Service. September 11, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  25. ^ AT&T Byron Nelson – Winners Archived 2016-10-04 at the Wayback Machine – at www.pgatour.com
  26. ^ HP Byron Nelson Championship – Winners – at golfobserver.com (1970–2009)
  27. ^ Johnson, Sal; Seanor, Dave, eds. (2009). The USA Today Golfers Encyclopedia. New York, New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-302-8.
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33°08′28″N 96°43′12″W / 33.141°N 96.720°W / 33.141; -96.720