The PGA Tour touches down in McKinney this week for the AT&T Byron Nelson, the final tune-up for players ahead of next week's PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. But before we dive into the latest major on the golf calendar, there could be history made at the annual Tour stop this week.
South Korean K.H. Lee has won both editions of the tournament held at TPC Craig Ranch, and this week goes for the three-peat coming off a tie for eighth at last week's Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C.
Lee has simply dominated this event the past two years, defeating Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama in 2022 and Sam Burns and Daniel Berger in 2021.
At BetTexas.com, your home for news around the path to legalized Texas sports betting, we dove into the most recent examples of a PGA Tour player winning the same event three years in a row, and whether Lee can join the club this week.
Lee Looks To Join Rare Class
According to pgatour.com, just nine men since World War II have won the same event three straight years. Seven are World Golf Hall of Famers, among them Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
The latest to complete the task was Steve Stricker, who is now a PGA Tour Champions player and former Ryder Cup captain. Stricker, now 56 years old, captured the three-peat at the John Deere Classic from 2009-11. That means it's been 12 years since the Tour witnessed this specific feat, though several have had a chance.
Brooks Koepka had the most notable pursuit, as he actually had a chance to win the same major three years in a row. However, Gary Woodland stopped the Koepka-U.S. Open train in 2019 at Pebble Beach, with Koepka finishing three strokes back of the former Kansas Jayhawk.
Sam Burns earlier this season had a good chance for the three-peat at the Valspar Championship, but eventually finished sixth behind winner Taylor Moore. Viktor Hovland also fell short of the three-peat last winter at the World Wide Technology Championship when he fell to former Georgia Bulldog Russell Henley.
Patrick Cantlay (BMW Championship) and Max Homa (Fortinet Championship) will each have a chance to join the club later this season.
Most Recent PGA Tour Three-Peats
Can Lee Make History?
With Burns and Hovland falling short earlier this season, what odds are operators giving Lee this week?
Over at BetMGM, Lee has +2200 to win, tied with Matsuyama and behind only 2023 Players champ and heavy favorite Scottie Scheffler (+333), Tyrell Hatton (+1200), fellow Korean Tom Kim (+1400) and Jason Day (+1600). Expect a BetMGM Texas bonus code when the state eventually moves towards legislation.
Over at Caesars Sportsbook, Lee is at +1800, just ahead of Matsuyama but also behind Scheffler, Hatton, Kim and Day.
Why is Lee not more of a heavyweight this week? Scheffler is No. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings and has already won twice this season, while world No. 17 Hatton finished tied for third in Charlotte last week. Lee has also failed to capture another Tour win away from TPC Craig Ranch, likely leading to operators favoring past major champs Matsuyama and Day.
Keep tabs on BetTexas throughout the Byron Nelson this week, and know that we also have several valuable pages as we count down to legalized sports betting, such as this page dedicated to the Cowboys playoff chances.
