2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson leaderboard: Brooks Koepka finds putting stroke in Round 1

A new-look TPC Craig Ranch brought out a vintage version of Brooks Koepka on Thursday at the 2026 CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Carding a first-round 8-under 63, the five-time major champion finally found his footing on the greens and climbed near the top of the leaderboard outside Dallas, Texas, behind just Taylor Moore, who signed for one better with his 62 late in the evening.

“It was just a comfortable group as well,” Koepka said. “Everyone is just kind of feeding off each other, easy. Everyone’s having fun. Makes it enjoyable. I feel comfortable on the golf course as well. 

“Finally, I felt good with the putter. I felt good the last few days with it when I was working in my studio. Then, when I got here, it felt very comfortable. Rick [Elliott] said the same thing from watching. Which also kind of helps build a little confidence, what you feel versus the reality of it. Just happy with the way everything went today.”

Koepka’s 63 may not have been the lowest of the day, but it was among his threesome, which included Dallas resident Si Woo Kim and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Kim needed one more stroke than Koepka en route to his 64 that headlines a large group at 7 under, while Scheffler was as steady as ever and signed for a 66 in the opening effort of his title defense.

“I felt like I was pretty close. I did some good stuff,” Scheffler said. “I felt I was a little short with my irons, making myself a few more looks. It’s just a matter of getting closer and holing a few more putts. Overall, I felt like I did some good stuff, just keeping it closer and holing a few more putts. But overall, did a lot of good things.”

Even in his own backyard, Scheffler seized the stage from Koepka as the powerful right-hander put six birdies and an eagle on his scorecard. A player who entered the week inside the top 10 in greens in regulation, strokes gained approach and proximity to the hole on the PGA Tour, Koepka kept knocking on the door, and his putter finally broke through in Round 1, gaining more than two strokes on the field with that club in hand.

“I feel like it’s a long ways away right now, but yeah, it would be great [to win],” Koepka said. “I think, when I won [The CJ Cup] the last time, I got back to No. 1 in the world. I think there’s such a huge difference right now of trying to get into signature events…on my way back, coming back to the Tour. 

“It would be a big confidence boost for sure because I feel like I’ve been playing well, the results just haven’t been there, mainly because of the putter, but I feel like I’m knocking on the door, and I’m very, very close. I would love to have a chance come Sunday.”

Former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark is among those tied with Scheffler at 5 under, as are PGA Tour rookies Johnny Keefer and Neal Shipley, and 19-year-old Blades Brown, who is hoping to earn special temporary membership on the PGA Tour by week’s end with a high enough finish.

Leaders

1. Taylor Moore (-9)
T2. Brooks Koepka, Jesper Svensson (-8)

For the second straight week, Koepka put a new putter in his golf bag, but unlike last week at the PGA Championship, he was met with quality results at TPC Craig Ranch. The lid was taken off the hole immediately for Koepka as he made an 18-footer for birdie on the par-4 11th, his second hole of the round. That was just the beginning.

Koepka rolled in additional par-breakers from 14 feet, 3 feet, 11 feet, 16 feet, 5 feet and 3 feet for his round. Hitting 14 greens in regulation in the process, Koepka’s performance was made even more impressive by the fact that he hit only three fairways. With preferred lies in effect, he did not have the luxury of cleaning his golf ball and placing it as much as he would have liked, but he will still be able to manage.

Contenders

T4. Emiliano Grillo, Keith Mitchell, Si Woo Kim, Stephan Jaeger, Michael Thorbjornsen, Tyler Duncan, Kensei Hirata (-7)
T11. Doug Ghim, Mackenzie Hughes, Hank Lebioda, Austin Eckroat, Lanto Griffin (-6)

The best player on the PGA Tour this season without a win may very well be Kim, who eyes another opportunity to enter the winner’s circle after an opening 64. That effort marked Kim’s 11th round of 66 or lower on the PGA Tour this year, which is second only to Scheffler’s 12. 

Similar to Koepka, Kim’s putter is the club that has held him back. On Thursday, however, it proved to be an asset as he gained more than 1.50 strokes on the greens and an additional 1.30 strokes by holing a putt from just off the green on his opening hole for birdie. With a stat line that read 13 fairways and 16 greens in regulation, Kim can keep climbing to the top of this leaderboard so long as the putter allows him to.

“It was a good round, then I putted great,” Kim said. “Hitting was a little off, but I kind of still take it. Yeah, it was a good round. Green was a little tougher than I thought. But I putted really good today, so it was a good round.”

Game within the game

The magic number for Blades Brown this week is 21 as he needs a solo 21st finish or better to earn special temporary membership on the PGA Tour, which would allow him to accept unlimited sponsor exemptions to play in PGA Tour events this season.

Brown’s 66 puts him inside that cutoff point, and his play on both the Korn Ferry Tour — where he ranks No. 9 in the season-long race — and the PGA Tour suggests he won’t be going anywhere. So far in 2026, Brown has six top-25 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour, including a couple of runner-up results.

On the PGA Tour, he has been even better, as he was in the final grouping with Scheffler and Kim at The American Express, where he finished T18. Brown also had the lead at the Puerto Rico Open over the weekend before a third-place finish, and most recently, finished T9 at the Myrtle Beach Classic.

2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson updated odds and picks

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• Scottie Scheffler: +260
• Si Woo Kim: 13/2
• Brooks Koepka: 7-1
• Taylor Moore: 13-1
• Michael Thorbjornsen: 15-1
• Keith Mitchell: 18-1
• Stephan Jaeger: 20-1

Clark played well on Thursday, and his price hasn’t moved much, as he is listed at 45-1, only a handful of strokes off the pace. He drove the ball much better than he had in recent weeks, and perhaps most importantly, he filled it up on the greens. We have seen over the course of his career that once he finds a comfort level with green complexes, he tends to run hot for the entire week. If that is the case, he should have a chance come Sunday.