The CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament is returning to TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney for the sixth year in a row.
The tournament is expected to stick around at least another five years after stakeholders agreed to an extension in late 2025. The agreement also includes an option to further extend the tournament’s stay in McKinney through 2033.
What’s happening?
The Byron Nelson golf tournament has been played at the TPC Craig Ranch course in McKinney each year since 2021. Two economic impact studies completed in 2022 and 2023 have shown the tournament draws thousands of people to McKinney and the North Texas region while generating an economic impact measured in millions.
“We feel it’s now our forever home after having those first five years there,” Tournament Director Jon Drago said. “We’ve had a lot of great success.”
Under the extension agreement, McKinney will continue providing police and fire services for the tournament. The city is also committed to spending $500,000 in infrastructure improvements for every $10 million spent by Invited Clubs, a club management company, on golf course improvements at TPC Craig Ranch.
If the three-year extension is exercised, the city will contribute $500,000 more. The agreement also includes sponsorship terms for the city and the McKinney Community Development Corp.
In 2023, the tournament generated $80.93 million in total economic impact for McKinney and the surrounding region, according to an economic impact study by Eventcorp Services. The tournament also supported 372 jobs.
While an updated study has not been completed since 2023, two more are planned during the next five years, Drago said.
“We know that McKinney’s growing and changing faster than almost any city in Texas, so I expect that to do the same,” Drago said of the tournament’s economic impact.
A closer look
Visit McKinney allocates $50,000 every year for promotion around the Byron Nelson, Executive Director Aaron Werner said. That covers Visit McKinney’s booth at the tournament and advertising pointed at other Texas locations.
Visit McKinney uses hotel occupancy tax revenues to promote the city as a tourist destination. Hotel occupancy taxes are collected from hotels and short-term rentals.
The number of hotel rooms booked during the tournament is “extremely high” for McKinney and the rest of the region, Werner said.
“This event does bleed over into Frisco, Allen, Plano—just with the location of it and also with the prestige of it,” he said.
Zooming out
The tournament has helped “elevate McKinney’s brand” as a major sports destination, Werner said. Every community has different assets, and one of McKinney’s is TPC Craig Ranch, which was able to attract a PGA Tour tournament, he said.
“It’s our job as a city and as a tourism department to try to elevate those assets and make sure that they bring the benefit to the community,” Werner said.
PGA players returning in May will find a reimagined course at TPC Craig Ranch after a renovation project was finished in December. World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins led the project, which completely overhauled the existing course.
“It’s a fine line to walk between doing a course for a tour event and then understanding that members have to play it the other 51 weeks,” Wadkins said.
Renovations are also underway at the Clubs of Stonebridge Ranch, another Invited Clubs golf course, and are expected to finish later this year. The McKinney-owned Oak Hollow Golf Course also underwent renovations in 2023.
Oak Hollow Golf Course has increased its playership over the years while also offering opportunities for younger kids to get involved with the sport, Parks and Recreation Director Amy Kinkade said.
Measuring the impact
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament is officially hosted by the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and benefits the Momentous Institute, a mental health organization that offers support for children and families across the U.S. and the globe.
“One of the things that makes our tournament unique is we exist solely for the reason of being a fundraiser for Momentous Institute,” Drago said.
Momentous Institute was founded in 1920 by the Salesmanship Club. It provides mental health services, education, research and training within the community, Drago said. That is partly done through a social emotional learning curriculum developed for pre-K through fifth grade students, according to Momentous Institute’s website.
The institute runs its own school, the Momentous School, in Dallas that utilizes the same curriculum, Drago said. Since 1968, the tournament has raised more than $195 million in total for the institute.
“We use our mental health practices that we have been employing over the last hundred years, and we have molded that into our curriculum at our school,” he said. “Basically, to show that rigorous academics coupled with this mental health lens gives far better results than just one without the other.”
Before you go
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament will be held during Memorial Day weekend in May this year. The tournament will continue to promote mental health, Drago said.
“Our motto here is ‘It’s more than a game,’” Drago said. “It’s about supporting mental health.”
That effort is realized through different initiatives during the tournament, such as wearing green on May 23 and displaying signs across the golf course supporting mental health. After the tournament extension, Drago said he was looking forward to building on what the tournament has already started.
“We’ve got a great momentum going after our first five years,” he said. “We’ll continue to try to improve and make it better every single year.”
Mark your calendar
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament:
Four public venues are expected to return this year.
- House of CJ: indoor venue at hole 18 featuring Korean entertainment brands and food
- The Pavilion: covered viewing deck at hole 17
- Garrison Brothers Distillery Bunker: covered outdoor area at hole 9 that offers craft cocktails and a concessions stand
- The Green: retail marketplace at hole 10 that sells golf lifestyle brands
