The PGA Tour heads to TPC Craig Ranch for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson this week.
Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka are the star attractions in the field in McKinney, Texas.
Scheffler won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson by nine strokes in 2025, after finishing on 31-under par for the tournament.
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It’s fair to say that Scheffler will be desperate to defend the CJ Cup Byron Nelson title that he won last year, having won only once so far on the PGA Tour in 2026.
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However, he obviously won’t have things all his own way, with Koepka, Spieth and Si Woo Kim in the field as well.
That said, one major champion who he was due to come up against will now not be in attendance at TPC Craig Ranch.
Major champion withdraws from CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Aaron Rai has formally withdrawn from the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
That’s no surprise, given the energy that he would have expended at Aronimink last week during the PGA Championship.
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Rai’s win at the PGA Championship was a hugely popular one, with many of his peers speaking very highly of him.
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However, he clearly now needs time to recover both physically and mentally.
Rai’s withdrawal was confirmed by the PGA Tour on Monday and that certainly didn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
Aaron Rai’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson replacement named
With Rai having withdrawn, another player has been given the chance to shine in Texas this week.
S.Y. Noh will replace the newly-crowned PGA champion at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
The 34-year-old has played 244 PGA Tour events. He has one win to his name and has made 147 cuts.
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He reigned supreme at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans way back in 2014 when the tournament was an individual event.
Interestingly, Noh’s lowest round on the PGA Tour actually came at TPC Craig Ranch in 2023 when he posted a 60 on day one.
He’ll be hoping that his entry into the CJ Cup Byron Nelson after Aaron Rai’s withdrawal provides him with the spark he needs to rediscover his best form.
This week will be S.Y. Noh’s first start of 2026, so it will be a very big opportunity for him to turn things around.
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