Spieth, Scheffler, and Siwoo Kim Draw Massive Gallery as Star Attractions

The CJ Cup Byron Nelson Round 1 Grouping
All Three Players Share Strong Dallas Ties
Over 3,000 Fans Gather to Watch This Star-Studded Group

Three players with ties to Dallas showed off their popularity.

On May 1 (local time), at TPC Craig Ranch (par 71, 7,569 yards) in McKinney, near Dallas, Texas, the first round of the PGA Tour CJ Cup Byron Nelson (total prize money: $9.9 million) featured world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, former world No. 1 Jordan Spieth (both from the United States), and Siwoo Kim grouped together. The tournament organizers paired these three players, all with connections to Dallas, in the same group to attract more attention. A massive gallery followed this group, with more than 3,000 people trailing them.

Cloud Gallery gathers at the 1st hole of the 1st round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson to watch the tee shots of Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, and Siwoo Kim. McKinney, USA - Photo by No Rae

The most popular player was Spieth, whose nickname is "Texas Boy." He was born and raised in Dallas and attended the University of Texas. On the PGA Tour, he has collected 13 victories, including three major championships. However, his last win was at the RBC Heritage in July 2022. He has been struggling with a left wrist injury. When Spieth teed off at the 1st hole (par 4), the loudest cheers erupted.

Support for Scheffler was also strong. Although he was not born in Texas, he attended school in the area and, like Spieth, is an alumnus of the University of Texas. He currently resides in Dallas. Scheffler has accumulated seven wins, including last year's Masters victory, and is considered the strongest player in the game today. Scheffler said, "Jordan and I played together here a few years ago. It was really fun. The support from the fans was incredible. Siwoo and I also attended the same club back home," expressing his anticipation for playing together this time.

Siwoo Kim currently lives in Dallas. Even after marrying Oh Ji-hyun, who has seven wins on the KLPGA Tour, in December 2022, he has continued to reside in the area. Kim is a leading figure in Korean men's golf, having earned four PGA Tour victories, including becoming the youngest winner (at age 22) of the fifth major, The Players Championship, in 2017.