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| Tuesday May 19, 2026 |
After one of the more compelling PGA Championships, the PGA Tour resumes this week at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Here are tournament talking points:
▪️ Reigning champion Scottie Scheffler won the tournament by eight strokes last year, the second-largest margin of victory in tournament history (10 by Sam Snead in 1957). And his winning score of 253, tied the low 72-hole score in PGA Tour history on record (Ludvig Åberg, 2023 RSM Classic; Justin Thomas, 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii).
▪️ TPC Craig Ranch will host the CJ Cup Byron Nelson for the sixth time.
▪️ The tournament was the first to be named in honor of a professional golfer. Byron Nelson had 52 career PGA Tour wins including a record 18 titles (11 straight) in 1945.
▪️ Following Scheffler’s win in 2025, TPC Craig Ranch underwent a $25 million overhaul, its first major redesign since opening in 2004.
▪️ Five of the last six champions at the CJ Cup Bryon Nelson have been international players (Sung Kang, South Korea, 2019; K.H. Lee, South Korea, 2021-2022; Jason Day, Australia, 2023; Taylor Pendrith, Canada, 2024).
▪️ Texas native and 26-year-old Pierceson Coody will make his fifth start at the event and has seven top-25 finishes in 14 starts this season, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. His grandfather, Charles Coody, is a three-time PGA Tour winner, including the 1971 Masters Tournament and 1964 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
▪️ The field includes:
— Two of the top 25 in the Official World Golf Ranking (No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 24 Si Woo Kim).
— Five past champions: Billy Horschel, 2017; Aaron Wise, 2018; K.H. Lee, 2021-22; Taylor Pendrith, 2024; and Scottie Scheffler, 2025.
— Five major champions, led by Brooks Koepka (5).
POLL
▪️ Will PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai, 31, be a one-hit major champion or will he win more? | Vote
▪️ Previous: What will become of Bryson DeChambeau's professional career? | Results
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
▪️ What are your opinions of the PGA Championship — the winner, the overall play, the course? | Respond
▪️ Previous: The 19th hole. After a round, what is your go-to drink and / or meal? | Read
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Cousins and co-founders of Golficity tell the story of how a shared passion grew into one of the largest, and longest lasting, brands in golf content.
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▪️ The strange feeling of watching Scottie Scheffler fade away on PGA Sunday
[Josh Schrock | Golf.com | Read]
▪️ ‘It was weird, man’: Inside Justin Thomas’ 3-hour PGA Championship wait
[Sean Zak | Golf.com | Read]
▪️ Can LIV Golf survive? Padraig Harrington sees leaner, team-focused model
[Adam Schupak | Golfweek | Read]
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Readers of The First Call share their favorite post-round food and beverage go-tos.
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To submit events for the calendar, please include the event name, date, location and informational link to info@firstcallgolf.com.
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