The winning score Lanny Wadkins wanted for the CJ CUP Byron Nelson after TPC Craig Ranch renovation
· Yahoo Sports
Lanny Wadkins’ redesign of TPC Craig Ranch began almost immediately after Scottie Scheffler romped away with the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May 2025.
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Scheffler won the 2025 CJ CUP Byron Nelson in 2025 after shooting an incredible 31-under par for four rounds at TPC Craig Ranch.
The 29-year-old world number one made the course in McKinney, Texas, look far too easy this time last year.
Scottie Scheffler won the CJ CUP Byron Nelson after shooting rounds of 61, 63, 66 and 63.
Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images for The CJ Cup16-under par wasn’t even good enough to get inside the top-12 in 2025.
The bottom line is that TPC Craig Ranch was far too easy for the best golfers in the world, and Lanny Wadkins was brought in to change that.
The winning score Lanny Wadkins wanted for the CJ CUP Byron Nelson
This week, Si Woo Kim has absolutely torn up the golf course at TPC Craig Ranch.
The South Korean has posted rounds of 64 and 60 during the first two rounds to lead by five shots heading into the weekend.
The early signs are that Lanny Wadkins’ renovations haven’t quite worked in the way that he expected them to.
Wadkins spoke about the renovation that he performed at TPC Craig Ranch, as quoted by Golfweek.
“They basically said they didn’t want 30-under winning the thing anymore,“ Wadkins said.
“And I told them, don’t worry.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images“I would say that I did think about the Tour, particularly with the length and the bunkering. We’ve got one, two, three holes or so that play downwind and the bunkers don’t even start until 315 or 320 yards.
“So, you know, that’s definitely with the Tour in mind. If I’d put them where they normally would have gone, they’d have blown them over, never even seen them.
“I did think about the fairway bunkers as far as tightening the property up somewhat. Craig Ranch is a big piece of property.
“So we did four waste bunkers on holes 3, 5, 10 and 16, that when the plantings that we did with the native grasses and the Texas sage and stuff grows in, it’s going to make it look a lot more intimate and really have a lot more character. It’s going to be a lot more intimidating from the tee.“
It was then explained what score Wadkins wanted to see win the CJ CUP Byron Nelson after his redesign.
“The overhaul included new grass turf, tighter fairways, the movement of bunkers, additional water features, native grasses and waste areas and revamped holes. Wadkins, who won the Byron Nelson in 1973, said he aimed to make the course more difficult for PGA Tour players while still keeping it enjoyable for club members. He hopes the redesign will lower winning scores closer to 12- to 15-under par.“
Soft conditions at TPC Craig Ranch have impacted renovations
Obviously the soft conditions haven’t helped this week, but as things stand, Lanny Wadkins’ renovations haven’t quite done the job he thought they would.
Unless the PGA Tour trick up the pins on Saturday and Sunday, Scheffler’s 31-under par record score last year will be seriously under threat.
Many of the bunkers have been made deeper with steeper faces, while more undulation has been added to the greens.
However, those changes have not slowed down the players one little bit.
If you were five-under par after two rounds, you missed the cut, while 11-under isn’t even good enough to get inside the top 10 after two rounds.
Perhaps TPC Craig Ranch is a golf course that needs to play firm and fast in order to really challenge the players.
However, that will never happen when hosting a tournament at a golf course in Dallas in late-May!