The PGA TOUR is revving up for another major championship in just two weeks at the PGA Championship, and next week, we’ve got another Signature Event on the schedule at the Truist Championship. Before those two tournaments, though, the PGA TOUR makes a stop in Dallas for THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch. It should be a fun and low-scoring week, so be sure to consider all the different ways to play as you fill out your betting card on DraftKings Sportsbook. One way I enjoy finding the “sweet spot” that balances risk and reward in my golf best bets each week is by digging up some winners in the “3-ball” tournament matchups each week.
The format of 3-ball picks is simple to understand—three golfers are placed in a group, and you select the winner for the tournament. You can find the five trios for this week in the tournament groups section of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson page.
I didn’t make picks for last week’s Zurich Classic due to the format, but my picks went 3-for-3 at the RBC Heritage, continuing a strong performance on the season. I love including 3-balls in my golf best bets because they typically offer positive odds but don’t require a pick out of a huge group.
Looking at this week’s tournament 3-ball options, here are my three golf best bets:
Jordan Spieth (+145)
Spieth is one of the biggest names in the field this week, and the local Texas hero will get plenty of attention. One way to back him this week without needing him to win is to take him at plus-money in this trio against Sungjae Im (+175) and Byeong Hun An (+200).
Spieth missed the cut at TPC Craig Ranch last year at this event, but finished runner-up in 2022 and T9 in 2021. He played this event multiple times earlier in his career when it was held at different courses in the Dallas area. He has made the cut in 10 of 12 career appearances at the Byron Nelson with five top-25 finishes.
Spieth aslo comes to this tournament with solid form. He finished in the top 20 in each of his last three events with a T12 at the Valero in San Antonio, a T14 at Augusta, and a T18 at the RBC Heritage.
Im also has had strong recent form, but he has never played this event or this course. He finished just ahead of Spieth at the last two events, but the “home-field advantage” gives Spieth the slight edge here for me.
An finished just behind Im and Spieth at the Masters and the RBC Heritage. He has a good history on this track with a T14 and a T4 the last two years, but I still think Spieht is the play here since his recent form has been more consistent than An’s.
Stephan Jaeger (+180)
Jaeger is in a fun trio with last year’s Byron Nelson winner Taylor Pendrith (+165) and one of last week’s winners Ben Griffin (+175).
Griffin has been grinding all season, so I was happy to see him get the victory, but he could definitely be in for a letdown. He finished T13 at this track last year after missing the cut here in 2023. He missed the cut at THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP and the Valspar, finished T18 at the Houston Open and T40 at the Valero before getting the win at he Zurich last week.
Pendrith got his breakthrough win last year at this event in his first visit to TPC Craig Ranch. He has spotty recent form coming into his title defense, though, with three missed cuts in his last seven events, although he did post a strong T5 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Jaeger is the longest shot of the trio, but he has a great course history on this track with three made cuts and top-20 finishes in each of the last three years. He finished T20 last year at this event, and he comes to this week’s tournament with some solid recent results. He has made the cut in five straight tournaments dating back to THE PLAYERS and finished T11 at the Houston Open. He didn’t play last week at the Zurich but his iron play has been shart enough that I like him to go low and take this trio win at these favorable odds.
Ryo Hisatsune (+180)
I highlighted Hisatsune in my cash game picks earlier in the day and I also love getting him at long odds to take this trio against Eric Cole (+170) and Seamus Power (+175).
Both Power and Cole have decent good course, but neither of them have the consistency that Hisatsune has shown lately. Power has missed the cut in three of his last five events with one of his made cuts at the Corales Puntacana Championship, which was an alternate event two weeks ago. Cole’s recent form has been better, but long drivers typically do wel on TPC Craig Ranch, and his limited length means he has to be perfect with his iron game to contend this week.
Ultimately, I’d lean Hisatsune even at even odds, but especially with him getting a little extra juice, he’s one of my golf best best at THE CJ CUP this week.
