Johnson Wagner has called for The CJ CUP Byron Nelson to move away from TPC Craig Ranch as he discussed some of the full-field events he would like to see included on the Championship Series on the PGA Tour.
Many tournament organisers are waiting to see which events will make up track one on the new-look PGA Tour from the 2028 season.
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Of course, Brian Rolapp recently unveiled plans to split the PGA Tour into two tiers.
The tournaments currently designated as signature events look set to be included on track one. But that leaves plenty of space for other events to be promoted, or for new tournaments to be created.
Johnson Wagner says what needs to happen for The CJ CUP Byron Nelson to become a Championship Series
The situation has been complicated by Rolapp confirming that track one players will be unable to drop down to compete in events on the Challenger Series.
Some have suggested that may not sit well with Scottie Scheffler in particular, with the world number one a big supporter of The CJ CUP Byron Nelson, an event he won in 2025.
Speaking on 5 Clubs, Johnson Wagner was asked which events he would like to see promoted to the Championship Series.
He suggested that there is one big problem with The CJ CUP.
“I was able to whittle it down to five, but I’ll try to bring it down to two. I think first and foremost, Torrey Pines, classic venue, I think Torrey Pines is going to be a part of that,” he said.
“The CJ CUP Byron Nelson, the CJ CUP has put in a ton of money, they’ve really helped that event out since AT&T left, I think that market of Dallas needs to be on the Championship Series. But that golf course is just awful. It does not need to host the best. They need to find a new venue in Dallas by ’28 and have it there.
“And then honestly, the Canadian Open’s an incredible event. You look at a sponsor like RBC that’s held two events up for decades now, that needs to be one. Colonial as well.
“Lastly, the John Deere Classic, when you come up 17, 18 on a Saturday, Sunday, and the hillside is packed, the vibe of the John Deere is one of the best on the PGA Tour. I can’t think of another local community that supports their event like the people of Quad Cities do. And if you put the 120 best players in the world there, it would just elevate it that much more. I know it’s been used as a target, ‘this is the perfect Challenger Series event’, but I can’t talk enough great things about the John Deere Classic.”
What Scottie Scheffler said about the recent changes to TPC Craig Ranch
There were plenty of renovations to TPC Craig Ranch after Scheffler finished on 31 under par in 2025.
It seemed to be an indication that those in McKinney did not want to see such low numbers at their venue. Admittedly, Scheffler finished eight shots clear of anyone else.
Speaking ahead of his opening round at this year’s event, Scheffler suggested that he was impressed by the changes.
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“I actually came up and played the course a few weeks ago. I think tee-to-green it is definitely better than what it was before. I think it’s a more interesting test,” he said.
“The greens have added a significant amount of slope to them, and some are a bit aggressive, but overall I think he did a really good job of creating some nice pin locations, and you definitely have to think your way around this place a lot more than you did before.
“I think the test has definitely improved around this golf course. We’ll see how the tour wants to set up this week, but overall, so far I really like most of the changes.”
Obviously, Scheffler is highly unlikely to publicly criticise the course hosting the event that he so clearly loves. However, it would have meant a lot to the organisers to hear his comments.
Unfortunately, the renovations did not deliver a vastly different tournament. Wyndham Clark reached 30 under par on his way to winning, while those on five under par after two rounds actually missed the cut.
So it is hard to imagine that Wagner is the only person who wants to see the event moved away from TPC Craig Ranch, particularly if it moves onto track one.
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