The PGA TOUR heads back to Texas this week for THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. TPC Craig Ranch will be the host course for the fifth consecutive year, and measures as a 7,569-yard par 71 with Bentgrass greens.
We are back to a standard, full-field event this week, albeit a very weak one. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is currently the betting favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook at +280, while Jordan Spieth (+1800), Sungjae Im (+2200) and Byeong Hun An (+2500) round out the top of the board.
Below I have outlined my two favorite bets for the week.
Stephan Jaeger to win (+4000)
Anytime we get to a long track with wide fairways Jaeger is going to be in consideration. His lone PGA TOUR win came at the Houston Open last year, which has very similar traits to TPC Craig Ranch. Jaeger also has a runner-up finish at Torrey Pines in his career, albeit a much more difficult track than he will see this week. His history here is pretty good, as he’s 3-for-3 in made cuts with a pair of top-20s.
Jaeger’s skillset is tailor made for an event like this due to his length off the tee and ability to rack up birdies. He ranks 12th in this field in BOB% this year and 27th on the PGA TOUR overall. He’s also flashed a high ceiling this season as well, with four top-11s in 15 starts dating back to the fall.
In addition to his distance, Jaeger is one of the best putters in this field, sitting 15th in SG: Putting over his past 48 rounds. When you put it all together, he actually is fourth in Total Strokes Gained in the same time frame, trailing only Scottie Scheffler, Alex Smalley and Harry Hall.
With Scheffler in the field this week, everyone gets a bit of a discount on their outright price, and getting 40/1 here on a proven PGA TOUR winner at a course he’s already had success at is an easy click.
Ryo Hisatsune to win (+6500)
Hisatsune has been one of the hottest golfers on the PGA TOUR of late, having posted three top-10 finishes over his past seven starts, and two top-fives across his past four. He then followed that up with a T18 at the RBC Heritage Signature Event his last time out.
He’s been getting it done in every facet of the game during this stretch, ranking top-20 or better in SG: Tee-to-Green (20th), SG: Ball-Striking (15th), SG: Putting (11th) and Total Strokes Gained (3rd). Only Scheffler and Sami Valimaki in this field have gained more combined strokes than Hisatsune over the past 16 rounds.
The Japan native is no stranger to success, as he’s finished top-10 all over the world across the DP World Tour, Japan Golf Tour and Abema TV Tour. Hisatsune even won the Cazoo Open de France back in 2023, in a field that featured the likes of Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Min Woo Lee and plenty of other PGA TOUR regulars.
This is his second season playing full time on the PGA TOUR and it looks as if he’s coming into his own finally. Hisatsune finished T13 in his lone trip to TPC Craig Ranch one year ago, and with the way he’s been dialed in of late he can absolutely contend this week.
Sign me up at 65/1 in this field.