The CJ Cup Byron Nelson holds a distinction that very few sporting events can claim. Byron Nelson was the first professional golfer to have a PGA Tour event named in his honor, and it remained the only one for nearly four decades, until the Arnold Palmer Invitational followed in 2007. Nelson won the very first edition of this tournament in 1944 by ten strokes. In 1968, he agreed to lend his name to the event, and the event has carried it ever since. The players who tee up at the TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, this week are chasing the highest prize purse the event has offered. The stakes also have never been higher.

The 2026 offers a grand prize purse standing at $10.3 million. The winner’s share of the purse is 18% as per the PGA’s tour prize money distribution chart, which sums up to be $1,854,000. This year, a field of 147 players is competing, and the cut will be made after 36 holes to the top 65 players and ties.

The purse at this event has grown steadily over the past four years. In 2023, Jason Day won the $9.5 million purse and took home $1,710,000. The following year, in 2024, the purse price was the same, and Tyler Pendrith claimed the title and earned the same winner’s share of $1,710,000. However, the purse jumped to $9.9 million in 2025. Scottie Scheffler won that year and collected $1,782,000 for his wire-to-wire victory. And now, in 2026, the purse is the highest the event has paid out.

Here’s the complete breakdown for every player who makes the cut:

Talking about players on the ground, the 2026 field is headed by Scottie Scheffler, Si Woo Kim, and Brooks Koepka, among others. Scheffler arrives as a two-time defending champion and world number one. Brooks Koepka opened the first round with a 63, and his performance on the course looks like a sharp return to the PGA Tour.

The winner will also get benefits beyond the grand prize purse. The winner will earn 500 FedExCup points and 38.9 Official World Golf Ranking points. In fact, they will also receive a two-year PGA Tour exemption and entries to the Masters, the PGA Championship, and the Players Championship.

Apart from the hefty prize money, the championship has a rich history and some of the most intriguing facts.

Interesting facts to know about the venue and the traditions of the championship

Starting with the course itself, when Lenny Wadkins won the Byron Nelson Classic in 1973, he earned $35,000. The winning trophy was presented to him in person by Nelson himself. The two became friends and fellow World Golf Hall of Famers, but their connection did not just end there. More than 50 years later, Wadkins came back as the architect of the $25 million renovation of the very course that is now hosting the tournament. The work began in May 2025, immediately after the tournament wrapped, and was completed in seven months. The renovation looks like an overhaul of the greens, along with repositioning of bunkers, and bringing in several green sites closer to the courses’ natural water hazards. The renovated course opened to the members in December 2025, and this week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson marks its first tournament appearance since the rebuild.

That brings us to a quirk about the course that’s worth knowing. TPC Craig Ranch plays along the limestone banks of Rowlett Creek. It crosses the course 14 times. In fact, after Wadkin’s renovation, the 9th green now sits closer to the water, and the play will become entirely different because of it.

Away from the fairways, the tournament runs on something that has nothing to do with the sport, but is certainly a warm detail. The Salesmanship Club of Dallas has hosted the event since 1968 and has channeled more than $195 million to the Momentous Institute. It is a Dallas nonprofit institute dedicated to children’s mental health services and education. To honor the tradition, club members have worn red pants as their trademark since its early days. The members usually served as marshals and volunteers throughout the week. This tradition is one of the most recognizable volunteer traditions in professional golf.

The 2026 edition is the sixth time TPC Craig Ranch has hosted the championship. The record purse is set, the course is ready, and who wins this championship is something that we are waiting to see.