Byron Nelson’s 2026 CJ Cup leaderboard: Brooks Koepka gets to add a stroke in Round 1
The new-look TPC Craig Ranch unleashed a classic version of Brooks Koepka on Thursday at the 2026 CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Playing a first-round 8-under 63, the five-time major champion finally found his footing on the green and climbed to near the top of the leaderboard outside Dallas, Texas, just behind Taylor Moore, who posted another best 62 of the evening.
“It was a relaxed team as well,” Koepka said. “Everybody has some kind of feed off, it’s easy. Everybody’s happy. It makes it fun. I feel free on the golf course as well.
“Finally, I felt good with the putter. I felt good a few days ago when I was working at my station. Then when I got here, I felt very comfortable. Rick [Elliott] he said the same while watching. Which also helps to build a little confidence, what you feel versus your reality. I’m happy with how everything went today.”
The 63-year-old Koepka may not have had much of a day, but he was among his top three, including Dallas resident Si Woo Kim and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Kim needed one more stroke than Koepka on his way to a 64 in the major league at 7 under, while Scheffler was as steady as ever and carded a 66 in the first attempt to defend his title.
“I felt like I was really close. I was doing good things,” Scheffler said. “I felt a little short with my irons, making a few more looks. It’s just a matter of getting close and hitting a few putts. Overall, I felt like I did some good things, keeping them close and hitting a few putts. But overall, I did a lot of good things.”
Even in his own backyard, Scheffler took the stage from Koepka as the powerful right-hander put six birdies and an eagle on his scorecard. A player who entered the week among the top 10 on the green in regulation, the stroke gained nearness and proximity to the hole on the PGA Tour, Koepka kept knocking on the door, and his putter finally broke in Round 1, gaining more than two strokes from the field with that club in hand.
“I feel like it’s a long way off now, but yeah, it would be great [to win],” said Koepka. “I think, when I win [The CJ Cup] last time, i’m back to no. 1 in the world. I think there’s such a big difference right now trying to get into signature events…when I come back, I go back to the Tour.
“It would be a lot of confidence for sure because I feel like I’ve been playing well, the results haven’t been there, mainly because of the putter, but I feel like I’m knocking on the door, and I’m very close. I’d like to get a chance to come Sunday.”
Former US Open champion Wyndham Clark is among those tied with Scheffler at 5-under, as are PGA Tour players Johnny Keefer and Neal Shipley, as well as 19-year-old Blades Brown, who hopes to earn a temporary special membership on the PGA Tour by the end of the week with a high enough finish.
Leaders
1. Taylor Moore (-9)
T2. Brooks Koepka, Jesper Svensson (-8)
For the second week in a row, Koepka put a new putter in his golf bag, but unlike last week at the PGA Championship, he was met with quality results at TPC Craig Ranch. The lid was pulled off the hole quickly for Koepka as he made the 18th for birdie on the 4th 11th, his second hole of the round. That was the beginning.
Koepka rolled additional par-breakers from 14 feet, 3 feet, 11 feet, 16 feet, 5 feet and 3 feet in his round. Hitting 14 greens in regulation, Koepka’s performance was made all the more impressive by the fact that he only hit three fairways. Using a popular lie, he didn’t have the luxury of cleaning his golf ball and putting it the way he would have liked, but he still managed to handle it.
Competitors
T4. Emiliano Grillo, Keith Mitchell, Si Woo Kim, Stephan Jaeger, Michael Thorbjornsen, Tyler Duncan, Kensei Hirata (-7)
T11. Doug Ghim, Mackenzie Hughes, Hank Lebioda, Austin Eckroat, Lanto Griffin (-6)
The best player on the PGA Tour this season without a win may be Kim, who is looking for another chance to get into the winner’s circle after an opening 64. That effort marked Kim’s 11th round of 66 or less on the PGA Tour this year, second only to Scheffler’s 12.
Like Koepka, the Kim putter is a team catch. On Thursday, however, it paid off as he gained more than 1.50 strokes from the green and another 1.30 strokes by drilling a putt from just off the green on his opening hole for birdie. With a stat line that reads 13 fairways and 16 greens in regulation, Kim can keep climbing the leaderboard as long as the putter lets him.
“It was a good round, then I put a good one,” said Kim. “The hitting was a little off, but I still took it. Yeah, it was a good round. The greens were a little tighter than I thought. But I putt really well today, so it was a good round.”
A game within a game
Blades Brown’s magic number this week is 21 as he needs to finish alone 21st or better to earn a special temporary membership on the PGA Tour, which will allow him to receive unlimited sponsor exemptions to play in PGA Tour events this season.
Brown’s 66 puts him inside that cutoff, and his performances on both the Korn Ferry Tour — where he’s ranked No. 9 in the season standings — and the PGA Tour suggest he’s not going anywhere. So far in 2026, Brown has six top-25 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour, including several runner-up finishes.
On the PGA Tour, he was even better, as he was in the final group with Scheffler and Kim at the American Express, where he finished T18. Brown also took the lead at the Puerto Rico Open over the weekend before finishing third, and most recently, he finished T9 at the Myrtle Beach Classic.
2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson reviews odds and picks
Odds with FanDuel Sportsbook
- Scottie Scheffler: +260
- Si Woo Kim: 13/2
- Brooks Koepka: 7-1
- Taylor Moore: 13-1
- Michael Thorbjornsen: 15-1
- Keith Mitchell: 18-1
- Stephan Jaeger: 20-1
Clark played well on Thursday, and his price hasn’t moved much, as he is listed at 45-1, just a few strokes off the pace. He drove the ball much better than he has in recent weeks, and perhaps most importantly, he filled the greens. We’ve seen over the course of his career that once he finds a level of comfort with green buildings, he often runs for a week. If so, he should have a chance to arrive on Sunday.
