How Byron Nelson High School alum Hayden Springer is working to play legend's namesake tournament

When Hayden Springer was in middle school, he played football and basketball, along with golf. Once he got to high school, though, all his focus turned to golf.

Isn’t that exactly what you would do if you were enrolling at Byron Nelson High School?

The school in Trophy Club, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, was where Springer played golf for four years before moving to Texas Christian University in nearby Fort Worth. Today, he is playing on PGA TOUR Canada and ranked No. 4 in the Fortinet Cup standings, their answer to the FedExCup. Two weeks ago in Winnipeg, Springer won for the first time, capturing the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open. Last week in Minnesota, he shot a third-round 61 on his way to a tie for sixth.

As a proud alum, Springer is certainly shining a nice light on his alma mater through his stellar play.

“I think it was always one of those things that we knew as a team that we represented Mr. Nelson’s name. We were all proud to go to Byron Nelson, playing on the golf team at a school named after one of the best players who ever lived,” Springer said.

Springer is also well acquainted with the THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Since childhood, he’s been a regular attendee of the event owned and operated by the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, founded in 1920 with “a mission to transform children’s lives.”

With a good chance to move to the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour based on his PGA TOUR Canada performance, that would put Springer one step away from the PGA TOUR and the opportunity to potentially play in an event that means so much to him. “I would love to play in that tournament,” he said.

A fitting goal for a Byron Nelson High graduate.