CJ CUP Byron Nelson Defending Champion Scottie Scheffler

When Dallas’ Scottie Scheffler won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, there were tears of pride on the medal stand during the U.S. national anthem. When he became the first Dallas native since Scott Verplank in 2007 to win his hometown event, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, there were more tears in 2025 on the 18th green at TPC Craig Ranch.

As he prepares for his title defense May 21-24, Scheffler talks about his Byron Nelson tears, his family friend in tournament namesake Nelson, and what it means to finally win at home as a professional golfer.

People who heard your victory speech last year or watched on TV could see the emotion which is something we don’t see from you. Where did that come from?

When I think about this tournament, I think about a lot of different stuff. I grew up coming to watch it. This was my first start on the PGA Tour when I was in high school. The girl I was dating at the time is now my wife. We have two kids now. My sister was caddying for me at the time. She was here. She has two kids. 

My family was all able to be here, and it was just really, really special memories, and I think at times it all comes crashing down to me at once. We have a lot of great memories as kids coming to watch this tournament. I just dreamed of being able to play in it, and it’s more of a dream to be able to win it.

You came here a lot as a kid growing up with (teacher) Randy Smith and all your buddies. What was it like to come here as a fan and now be a forever Byron Nelson Champion?

I would always like to come to the tournament and watch. I would come to this tournament, and I would typically try to go to Colonial a bit as well. Colonial was a little bit farther for us. Sometimes after going to Byron, I would get the golf bug and want to go out and practice.

I just dreamed to be able to play in it, and it’s more of a dream to be able to win it. I never really got this far, to be honest with you. I always just dreamed of playing golf on the PGA Tour. I would come out on the driving range and watch these guys practice, hitting their brand new range balls. That’s all I wanted to do, was come out here and play a golf course that was in great shape and compete on the best golf courses in the world against the best players.

What are some of your favorite memories of coming out here from Royal Oak? I’m guessing you were here when Tiger played or when Jordan (Spieth) played at age 16.

Favorite memory, I’m not really sure. I have difficulty remembering specific instances, but I definitely remember coming out and sitting on the driving range a lot. I always liked to try to go to the driving range because that’s where you could watch the most golf. I always wanted to come to practice rounds because there would be nobody out here and it was always a lot more relaxed. You could see guys hit all kinds of shots.

I think the lasting memory I have as a kid was just being able to play in the tournament and what it meant to me at the time. It really inspired me to come out here and try to do this for a living even more.

Last year you called Byron Nelson a family friend, what does it mean to win the tournament named after him?

When I think about this tournament, I think about Mr. Nelson. I think about what he did for the game of golf. He was a man of faith, and he was a great person as well off the golf course. He was a person that I’ve read a lot about. I’ve had the opportunity to meet him a few times when I was a kid, and I know a lot about him. He was a tremendous player and a tremendous person. So we look up to him in a variety of ways.

There are a lot of changes in the PGA Tour schedule with designated tournaments and majors and scheduling conflicts, but you have always been loyal to this event. Why is that?

I’m proud to be here supporting his [Nelson] tournament and his legacy. We have some great legacy tournaments on the PGA Tour, and I believe that Mr. Nelson also did a lot for the PGA Tour. For his tournament to have a lasting legacy here, not only in Dallas but on the PGA Tour as well, I think is really important. It was my first professional start 13 years ago.

You won last year in in record, blowout fashion. What was it like to get to celebrate at home without the stress of a tight win?

I know we ate good food and pushed into Bennett’s bedtime a little bit. Being here at home is pretty nice. A lot of times when you finish a tournament, you’ve got to catch a flight home. It’s really nice to be able to hop in the car and be in my own bed  

A lot of rain last year and delays, but a victory at 31-under-par where you were never really challenged. Did anything stick out about the rain-delayed week?

The food was really good. I did have a few plates on Friday …  It was a long rain delay; I will say that.

The food was really good. There was like 20-something chefs out there cooking a bunch of food. They were working really hard. I had a lot of that short rib and then some vegetables. I had some good grilled chicken. Then I had the spicy chicken, which was some fried chicken. I had probably a bit too much of that, but it was pretty good.

Coming back for a title defense this month, what does that mean?

This story means a lot to me. I can’t wait.

 

      Charles Schwab Challenge Defending Champion Ben Griffin

Ben Griffin won a wild and windy 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial last May, taking a five-shot lead into the final round and then hanging on for a one-shot win over Matti Schmid for his first individual PGA Tour victory at historic Colonial Country Club. He used the momentum to propel himself to a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team last fall and was happy to talk about his Colonial title defense this month with AVIDGOLFER readers. “Everybody likes to talk about a win,” he said.

What did you think about the Colonial course layout? It’s certainly not what you see on a regular basis on the PGA Tour schedule. How do you feel like it fit your eye, and how much did that contribute to the victory?

I like it a lot. It’s very fun. Yeah, it reminds me more of what I grew up playing in North Carolina. A lot of tree-lined fairways, a lot of doglegs. It was very familiar, very, very similar to the country club I grew up playing when I was really young and the kind of courses that I played throughout junior golf. It’s good not to play a TPC-style course all the time. I wish we played more courses like Colonial.

You know, some guys are big into golf history and some are not. Did you know much about Ben Hogan or anything about the history of his career or the golf course?

I know he’s got a great first name [laughs]. Obviously, he has a huge presence there at Colonial. So it’s pretty cool to kind of put my name on a trophy that so many greats have won. I’ve seen the first-tee wall. There is a lot of history and tradition at Colonial, which is really cool.

What have you done with your plaid jacket yet? Have you worn that to any tailgates or around the house or anything like that?

I don’t have it yet. I don’t have the jacket or the car yet or anything. We’ll see.

When do you get it?

You get it at the awards ceremony, but you don’t get to keep it. I think you get the plaid jacket a year after your win at the Wednesday night awards dinner, and I’m still waiting on the car – hopefully soon.

Golfers sometimes say they felt it was their week to win before they do it. Did you feel Colonial might be the spot for your first individual win?

Well, coming off my first team win in New Orleans with Andrew [Novak], I felt confident coming into Colonial. Then, when I took a big lead going to the back nine Sunday, I really felt it was my time.

What does a one-shot lead mean, where you really had to grind it out as opposed to a runaway victory?

Well, it was a two-shot lead on 18 until Matti chipped it in. I’m not sure I was expecting that, but it’s a good thing I only had a four-foot putt to win. I was able to get it done.

Any special Fort Worth celebration?

We went to that local Mexican place with three names [Joe T. Garcia’s]. Everybody said it was great and we had to check it out. We had a very nice dinner with friends and family, good food and drinks. We celebrated, then it was on to the next event.