Has the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson ended even before it could begin? After watching Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin lift their first PGA Tour titles at the 2025 Zurich Classic, fans were excited for the next event on the schedule. With Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth back on the field, things were bound to get heated up at TPC Craig Ranch. However, the latest reports suggest that the Texas event might face some issues hours before tee-off.

The golf fraternity was surprised to learn of the withdrawal of two great players from the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Both Gary Woodland and Will Zalatoris confirmed that they will not be playing the PGA Tour event this week. If that wasn’t enough, headlines have also stated that TPC Craig Ranch is currently flooded, as tweeted by The Shotgun Start a few minutes ago, “Zalatoris and Woodland WDs and a deluge to make it extra soft for the fellas. Another bad Wednesday at the CJ CUP BYRON NELSON.” 

The “another bad Wednesday” bit was probably connected to the situation in the 2024 edition of the event. Last year, the weather reports from the PGA Tour had confirmed that the weather at Craig Ranch looked bad. That proved to be true, as the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson was suspended in 2024. Even the fourth round was delayed by several hours.

Moving on, the heavy rain and damaging winds have led to a forced evacuation at TPC Craig Ranch prior to the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. And if weather predictions are to be believed, then it will only get worse from here with potential thunderstorms and adverse weather conditions for the remainder of the week. Additionally, a flash flood warning is in effect in the McKinney, Texas, area until 7 in the morning (as per local time) while the first group is set to tee off at 6:50 AM.

To give a clearer picture, here is the weather prediction for the rest of the days:

• Thursday: Drier conditions are expected with partly to mostly sunny skies.
• Friday: As the cold front finally pushes south through North Texas, rain can be expected as the day progresses.
• Saturday and Sunday: The former is expected to have cooler and drier air, while the latter is expected to have partly cloudy skies.

However, the recent update adds to the headache of Jay Monahan & Co., who had already faced backlash for the broadcast fumble in the final round of the 2025 Zurich Classic. Fans were outraged when there was a power outage at TPC Louisiana, which caused a major broadcast disruption.

Coming back to the conditions at TPC Craig Ranch, the bad news doesn’t end there for Jay Monahan. There were a few more reports in the past few hours that revealed the thinning field in Texas.

Things get from bad to worse for Jay Monahan

The news of Gary Woodland and Will Zalatoris withdrawing from the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson was shocking enough, especially considering the fact that Zalatoris would have actually had a hometown advantage teeing off at TPC Craig Ranch. Interestingly, the PGA Tour pro has not provided any explanation for his exit. Fortunately, Jay Monahan & Co. had a replacement ready for him in the form of James Hahn. But Hahn won’t be the only fill-in in the $9.9 million event.

Apart from the two mentioned above, Michael Kim and Nick Dunlap also exited the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson in the last few hours. Fortunately, Monahan & Co. had time to take that in as both Kim and Dunlap announced their withdrawal during the final round of the Zurich Classic.

Brandt Snedeker, Joe Highsmith, S.H. Kim, Zac Blair, and Keith Mitchell have also withdrawn in the last few days, as confirmed by PGA Tour Communications. They were replaced by Dylan Wu and Kevin Tway in the TPC Craig Ranch event. Considering the fact that so many golfers have already withdrawn, Jay Monahan & Co. will be on high alert as only a few hours remain for the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson to tee off.