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AT&T Byron Nelson finds new home

April 15, 2020
PGA TOUR - 2006 TPC Craig Ranch

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The PGA Tour's AT&T Byron Nelson event has found a new home.

The Salesmanship Club and Tour reached an agreement on Tuesday to move the Nelson tournament to TPC Craig Ranch for the next five years, beginning in 2021.

“TPC Craig Ranch will provide the perfect footprint for delivering the optimal spectator experience and allow us to maximize the Salesmanship Club’s mission with Momentous Institute,” said Jon Drago, tournament director of the AT&T Byron Nelson. “From a competitive standpoint, we’ve received incredibly positive feedback already from PGA TOUR players on the new venue. In fact, our defending champion, Sung Kang, practices at the course. Between this and the world-class amenities that Collin County has to offer our fans, Tour players and their families, we think the location will be a huge hit. This move will provide a remarkable opportunity to showcase our North Texas region and the dynamic growth that defines it.”

Residing in McKinney (about 30 miles outside Dallas), TPC Craig Ranch is a Tom Weiskopf design that opened in 2004. The course, owned by ClubCorp, has previously hosted the 2008 Nationwide Tour Championship and 2012 Web.com Tour Championship.

The decision comes four months after tournament organizers announced the event was leaving Trinity Forest after just three seasons. While the move to Trinity Forest—a Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design opened in 2014—was welcomed by architecture fans, the tournament has suffered a series of woes the past three years. Bad weather kept attendance low, and the property and tournament infrastructure could not combat soggy conditions. Fans also complained about the lack of respite from the sun on the grounds.

Moreover, be it Trinity Forest's unconventional design or its proximity to the PGA Championship last season (the Nelson was played the week before the major), the tournament failed to attract a healthy field, with just two of the top 20 players in the world playing in 2019's competition.

This year's event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.