GOLF.com: Lanny Wadkins Puts a Golden Age Stamp on TPC Craig Ranch Ahead of CJ Cup Byron Nelson

A Champion Returns as an Architect

Lanny Wadkins, who won the Byron Nelson Classic in 1973, has come full circle — this time reshaping TPC Craig Ranch as a course designer. Invited Clubs bankrolled a $25 million overhaul, prompted in part by Scottie Scheffler's dominant 31-under, 8-shot victory last year that exposed the course's lack of defensive teeth.

Three Pillars of the Redesign

Wadkins' philosophy centers on bringing the driver back as a decision-making club, not just a launching pad.

- Bunker repositioning and deepening: A new lion's mouth bunker guards the short par-4 6th, and crossing bunkers at 320 yards on the same hole force a genuine risk/reward decision off the tee. - Water as a weapon: The 9th green now sits closer to a creek, and the 11th — a bunkerless complex with false fronts — wraps nearer to a lake, defending without sand. - Bentgrass greens with Golden Age contours: The new surface enabled Wadkins to sculpt significant movement. Pin positions are set in flatter zones, but offline approaches leave long, bending putts or awkward run-off recoveries.

Old-School Sensibility Meets Modern Demands

Wadkins drew heavily on Golden Age influences — William Flynn, Perry Maxwell — absorbed growing up in Virginia. The par-3 4th now features a Biarritz green, bisected by a deep swale, while the 11th is modeled conceptually after the 14th at Augusta National: no bunkers, just deceptive contours.

Strokeslab Take

Last year's winning score underscored that TPC Craig Ranch was failing to stress elite iron play and putting. Wadkins' redesign specifically targets SG: APP and SG: ATG — the false fronts and bending run-offs will punish anything but precise approaches, making this year's scoring spread well worth tracking.