All eyes will be on World No. 1 and Texas native Scottie Scheffler this week at TPC Craig Ranch. He’s the betting favorite in THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson odds and is still chasing his first victory of the 2025 PGA Tour season.
While Scheffler is one of my top golf picks this week, I’m looking further down the golf odds list to round out my betting card with a trio of longshots and sleepers.
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson sleeper picks
- Jaeger to win outright (+4000 at DraftKings)
- Hisatsune to win outright (+7500 at FanDuel)
- Valimaki to win outright (+11000 at DraftKings)
Picks were made on 4-29 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson sleeper predictions
Sleeper pick to win: Stephan Jaeger
+4000 at DraftKings
With consecutive Top 20s in the Byron Nelson, Stephan Jaeger has proven he can golf his ball around TPC Craig Ranch, and his game is trending up ahead of the 2025 edition.
He ranks sixth in true strokes gained on approach while playing the weekend in five consecutive events, with the only weakness in his game being his poor driving accuracy, landing him 124th in true strokes gained off the tee in this field during the run.
I’m not overly concerned, though. He paced the field in the metric in the 2024 Byron Nelson and ranked fourth in 2023. Unfortunately, he ranked 57th and 67th in true strokes gained on approaches, respectively. Clearly, the sight lines off the tee fit Jaeger’s eye, so if his current iron play continues, he’s set to have a career-best finish here this week.
Sleeper pick to win: Ryo Hisatsune
+7500 at FanDuel
It’s been a smooth run for Ryo Hisatsune, with a pair of Top 5s and two more Top 20s across his past five events, and he’s gained true strokes across the board during the run for well-rounded ranks of 19th in this field in true strokes gained tee-to-green and 16th in putting.
Hisatsune has a DP World Tour win in 2023 and three more worldwide wins, and he also finished T13 in his 2024 debut at the Byron Nelson. I also value him ranking 17th on the PGA Tour this season in adjusted scoring average to reinforce just how solid his game is in all facets.
Covers golf betting tools
Sleeper pick to win: Sami Valimaki
+11000 at DraftKings
The Finn is on a nice heater with three consecutive Top 20s in individual events, including a solo-fourth finish at the Houston Open. Sami Valimaki gained true strokes on approach and on the greens in each to rank first in this field in true strokes gained on approach, eighth in tee-to-green play, and 26th in putting across the three events.
With six worldwide wins on his resume, this is a long number for a player in excellent form and who has also contended on the PGA Tour.
