The PGA Tour heads to the mainland this week with the 2025 American Express taking center stage in Palm Springs, California. Players will be forced to rack up birdies as a strong field embarks on this three-course rotation that traverses two courses, PGA West and La Quinta Country Club, and cuts at the 54-hole mark.
Leading the way is world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the man who had to sit out last season’s festival. Scheffler, named the PGA Tour Player of the Year in each of the past four seasons, is looking to build on his success in the 2026 season. But how can someone who doesn’t seem to have done anything wrong become even better?
Scheffler looked back on the 2025 season, which consisted of 20 top-25 finishes and six trophies in the same number of starts, and identified the start of the campaign as an area for improvement. Scheffler, who wasn’t quite 100% while coming back from a hand injury, has been making a conscious effort on his endurance and looks ripe for a fast start to the new year.
If he starts 2025 the way it ended — winning six of his first 12 starts on the PGA Tour — the rest of the world will be facing the monster again. Scheffler will headline the action along with his good friend Sam Burns and fellow U.S. Ryder Cup team members Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henry and Ben Griffin.
A large European contingent including Ludwig Oberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, reigning champion Sepp Straka and Justin Rose are also on the field and ready. All of these players will be hoping to mirror last season’s success, but players like Rickie Fowler, Will Zalatoris and Max Homa are looking to put the past behind them and start the season in memorable fashion.
American Express schedule for 2026
date: January 22nd to 25th
position: Pete Dye Stadium Course — La Quinta, California
Par: 72 | Yardage: 7,210 | Architect: Pete Dye
wallet: $9.2 million
2026 American Express field, odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
- Scotty Scheffler (5/2): Scheffler has competed in the American Express five times and has four top-25 finishes. While some may worry that the low-scoring nature of the event will energize the rest of the field, it’s important to remember that Scheffler reached 31-under for the tournament at CJ Cyo Byron Nelson. He has gained even more speed and is clearly still the best player in the world. The only question going into this year is whether he can putt as well as he did in 2025. If he can, he’ll keep rolling.
- Ben Griffin (20-1)
- Sam Burns (25-1): It’s been more than three years since Burns won a stroke play event on the PGA Tour. Still ranked within the top 25 in the Official World Golf Rankings, the free-spirited right-hander has started the season in a comfortable position with four top-20 finishes in six starts. Despite the high standards, Barnes’ putter was consistently strong throughout the 2025 season, and his game had many hidden flaws.
- Ludwig Oberg (25-1): In the blink of an eye, we were in Oberg’s fourth season on the PGA Tour, but his third year full-time. The 26-year-old has taken steps each season, playing on the Ryder Cup team, winning on the PGA Tour, competing in major championships and winning the marquee event last season. There was a lull in the middle of the year due to occasional questionable course management, but he regained his form belatedly and looked a lot like the robot we’re used to seeing.
- Russell Henry (28-1)
- Robert McIntyre (28-1): McIntyre is currently ranked No. 6 in the world, but not many people are enthusiastic about that. The Scottish player started the year in great fashion with a top-five finish at the Sony Open, including a final 63. He said his attitude was not up to par throughout the tournament, and revealed that he even broke his putter late in the second round due to frustration on the green. The left-handed pitcher has started five games for Worldwide since October, earning one win and three other top-10 finishes.
- Patrick Cantlay (30-1)
- Similarly (35-1)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (40-1): After winning the DP World Tour Championship to close out 2025, Fitzpatrick realized the culmination of all his hard work came to fruition in the Middle East. After a seemingly unsuccessful season earlier this year, the former U.S. Open champion flipped the switch at the PGA Championship in May and never looked back. Fitzpatrick’s iron play really found his groove during this part of the schedule and was key to sparking this surge.
- Taylor Pendrith (40-1)
American Express Recommended Products for 2026
Who will win the American Express 2026 and which long shot will shock the golf world? Visit SportsLine now to see the entire predicted leaderboard of the 16-win golf major model heading into the weekend.
