2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson Round 1: Complete Viewing Guide, Tee Times & Scheffler's Title Defense

Scheffler Returns to Defend in Texas

The 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson tees off Thursday at TPC Craig Ranch, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlining as the defending champion. Last year, Scheffler dominated the field by eight strokes near his Texas home — one of the most dominant performances of his career.

Coming off a failed repeat bid at the PGA Championship, Scheffler now turns his attention to a more familiar setting. A win this week would be his second victory of the 2026 season and the 21st of his PGA Tour career.

Round 1 Groupings to Watch

Scheffler tees off at 8:33 a.m. ET from the 10th tee alongside Brooks Koepka and Si Woo Kim in one of the marquee groupings of the day.

Japanese players in the field include: - Ryo Hisatsune – 1:32 p.m. ET (Hole 1) - Keita Nakajima – 3:11 p.m. ET (Hole 1) - Takumi Kanaya – 2:16 p.m. ET (Hole 10)

How to Watch

- Golf Channel (TV): 3–7 p.m. ET - PGA Tour Live on ESPN+: Streaming from 7:45 a.m. ET with featured groups and holes - GOLF App: Simulcast of Golf Channel coverage

Strokeslab's Take

From a Strokes Gained perspective, Scheffler's dominant 2025 victory was built on elite SG: APP and SG: OTT numbers. TPC Craig Ranch rewards iron precision over raw power, making SG: Approach the key metric to track when predicting Thursday's leaders.