A return stateside has the PGA Tour getting the five tournament West Coast swing underway in La Quinta, Calif. with the playing of The American Express. One of two pro-ams on the slate, the full field plus guests will play the first three rounds at each of the PGA West Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course and La Quinta Country Club. The field will be trimmed for Sunday’s final round that will be played on the host Stadium Course. Five of the top-10 players in the world are scheduled to tee off with No. 4 Jon Rahm the betting favorite in the outright market. The Spaniard won the TOC a few weeks ago, his third triumph in four official starts across the PGA and DP World Tours. There will be a new individual champion with last year’s winner and two-time titlist Hudson Swafford joining LIV Golf. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
The American Express Matchup Odds
Jon Rahm -163 vs. Patrick Cantlay +135
Jon Rahm -138 vs. Scottie Scheffler +115
Patrick Cantlay +106 vs. Scottie Scheffler -127
Tony Finau -139 vs. Will Zalatoris +116
Tony Finau -153 vs. Sungjae Im +127
Will Zalatoris -115 vs. Sungjae Im -105
Tom Kim +107 vs. Cameron Young -128
Tom Kim -132 vs. Brian Harman +110
Cameron Young -147 vs. Brian Harman +122
Sam Burns -105 vs. Taylor Montgomery -115
Sam Burns -115 vs. Aaron Wise -105
Taylor Montgomery -132 vs. Aaron Wise +110
Si Woo Kim -110 vs. Tom Hoge -110
Si Woo Kim -110 vs. Cameron Davis -110
Tom Hoge -110 vs. Cameron Davis -110
Sahith Theegala -105 vs. Andrew Putnam -115
K. H. Lee -130 vs. Jason Day +109
Adam Hadwin -105 vs. Taylor Pendrith -115
Justin Rose +105 vs. Rickie Fowler -125
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +119 vs. Keith Mitchell -143
J.T. Poston -110 vs. Wyndham Clark -110
Emiliano Grillo -115 vs. Brendan Steele -105
Thomas Detry -120 vs. Chris Kirk +100
Harris English -120 vs. Brendon Todd +100
Dean Burmester -115 vs. Stephan Jaeger -105
Lee Hodges -115 vs. Matthew NeSmith -105
Danny Willett +112 vs. Martin Laird -134
Troy Merritt -110 vs. Patton Kizzire -110
Russell Knox +103 vs. Stewart Cink -123
Aaron Rai -105 vs. Luke List -115
Need to Know
With a full field of pros and a slew of amateurs, three courses are needed to make sure play concludes every day. All three venues are similar in length at just over 7,000 yards and they are considered to be among the easiest on Tour. That’s reflected in the scores with each of the past 15 winners all scoring 20-under or better. Swafford finished at 23-under last year with his 2-swing victory matching the biggest in the past 13 editions. The pro-am field will play 18 holes on each course over the first three days with the cut coming after 54 holes. Sunday’s final round will be contested on the Stadium Course, which is considered the more difficult layout playing around two strokes harder on average. It plays just over 7,100 yards at par-72 with five scoreable par 4s.
The American Express Matchup Picks
Patrick Cantlay +135 vs. Jon Rahm
I went with Cantlay in a matchup with Rahm last season at similar odds and he paid off by finishing ninth, well ahead of the favorite. It’s hard to bet against Rahm with the roll he’s on, but you expect a drop after winning just about everything. Cantlay’s played just twice this season earning a T2 at the Shriners and T16 at Kapalua. Similar season starts resulted in a trio of top-10s in the AMX, including a runner-up two years ago, and at this price Cantlay’s a keeper.
Will Zalatoris -115 vs. Sungjae Im
Playing just about every tournament over the last two years has to take a toll. Like the Energizer bunny, Im just keeps going and going. He’s finished T12 or better in each of his four starts here, but his MC last week has me concerned. And I saw Zalatoris come back from an injury absence with a T11 at the TOC, chipping off some rust just in time for his second trip to La Quinta. And if it’s as good as his first we have a winner. The Z-man finished T6 in his debut last year.
Taylor Montgomery -115 vs. Sam Burns -105
I backed Montgomery several times this season and he’s rewarded me just like he did last week. The Tour doesn’t give awards this early in the season, but Montgomery is a strong candidate for rookie of the year after going 8 for 8 with seven of those starts ending with a top-15 finish. The betting markets are starting to catch up with him but I do like his game to continue soaring and will back him until he’s out of my range.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +119 vs. Keith Mitchell
I have to admit I was attracted to Bezuidenhout because of his price. He hasn’t enjoyed a lot of success on the PGA Tour but he’s been solid on the DP World Tour and after all it’s just golf, right? He earned a couple top-5s in consecutive starts on the DP Tour and consecutive victories in his native South Africa a few years ago still resonate with me.
Andrew Putnam -115 vs. Sahith Theegala -105
I wavered in my pick in this matchup before settling with Putnam for a number of reasons. He arrives with a few streaks that are tough to overlook. First, he’s played the weekend in 13 straight starts most recently earning a T4 at the Sony Open with the help of a third-round 62. He’s also 5 for 5 here with four top-25s on his resume.
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