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From left: Byeong Hun An, Min Woo Lee and Maverick McNealy. USA TODAY Sports photos.

Golf best bets: Outright picks for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated 4/29/24

The PGA Tour heads to McKinney, Texas this week for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch, a long golf course with wide fairways and plenty of birdies to be made. The winning scores at TPC Craig Ranch over the last three years have been -25, -26 and -23, so we're looking for players who can go low and win a birdie fest.

Here are the three outright bets we're targeting for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Byeong Hun An (+3000 FanDuel)

Byeong Hun An has been a regular guest on our betting cards this season, and it's easy to see why. The South Korean has six top-21 finishes in 11 starts this year, and he nearly won the Sony Open in Hawaii before losing in a playoff to Grayson Murray. An is close to notching his first PGA Tour win, and this looks to be a good week for it.

An ranks ninth on Tour this season in birdie or better percentage, seventh in driving distance, first in total driving efficiency and 18th in greens in regulation percentage. He finished T14 at TPC Craig Ranch last season while ranking fourth in the field in strokes gained from tee to green. The 32-year-old can humble this golf course with his elite driving ability and strong iron play, so we just need a decent putting week for An to contend for a win.

Min Woo Lee (+3300 BetMGM)

This is a bet on talent and upside. Min Woo Lee is a great fit for TPC Craig Ranch because he's an exceptional driver of the golf ball and can fill it up on the greens. The Australian ranks second on the PGA Tour this season in total driving, fifth in club head speed and 18th in strokes gained from off the tee. It hasn't been a great putting season for Lee, but he would've ranked third on Tour in strokes gained from putting last season if he played enough rounds to qualify.

Lee will be able to pummel the par 5s at TPC Craig Ranch, which bodes well for his chances of going low this week. He can ride his driver and putter to his first PGA Tour win.

Maverick McNealy (+6600 BetMGM)

The CJ Cup Byron Nelson can turn into a putting contest because of how easy it is to pepper fairways and greens at TPC Craig Ranch, which is music to Maverick McNealy's ears. McNealy led the PGA Tour last season in strokes gained from putting, and he's gained strokes on the green in six of his last eight starts.

The American is also an underrated driver of the golf ball. McNealy has gained strokes off the tee in seven of his last eight starts, gaining distance on the field in seven of eight, as well. He finished T6 at the WM Phoenix Open and T13 at the Mexico Open earlier this season, two tournaments with similar golf courses in terms of their wide landing areas off the tee.

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