A return stateside has the PGA Tour getting the West Coast swing of the season underway in La Quinta, Calif. with the playing of The American Express. After COVID affected last year’s format the pro-am portion is back as is the use of three courses. Pros and amateurs will play the first three rounds at each of the PGA West Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course and La Quinta Country Club. The full field will be trimmed for Sunday’s final round that will be contested on the host Stadium Course. OWGR No. 1 Jon Rahm tees it up in La Quinta for the first time since winning this event in 2018 and will have to contend with last season’s player of the year Patrick Cantlay, who shot a Stadium Course record 61 in last year’s close. The betting favorites in the outright market are featured prominently in head to head battles. 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 +130
Jon Rahm -235 vs. Scottie Scheffler +183
Jon Rahm -260 vs. Tony Finau +201
Patrick Cantlay -162 vs. Scottie Scheffler +129
Patrick Cantlay -178 vs. Tony Finau +141
Scottie Scheffler -125 vs. Tony Finau -105
Corey Conners -103 vs. Sungjae Im -127
Corey Conners -112 vs. Talor Gooch -118
Corey Conners -130 vs. Abraham Ancer +100
Sungjae Im -124 vs. Talor Gooch -106
Sungjae Im -143 vs. Abraham Ancer +113
Talor Gooch -133 vs. Abraham Ancer +103
Matthew Wolff -103 vs. Patrick Reed -127
Matthew Wolff -112 vs. Will Zalatoris -118
Patrick Reed -124 vs. Will Zalatoris -106
Russell Henley -131 vs. Seamus Power +101
Russell Henley -164 vs. Cameron Tringale +130
Seamus Power -140 vs. Cameron Tringale +110
Christiaan Bezuidenhout -128 vs. Justin Rose -102
Christiaan Bezuidenhout -143 vs. Rickie Fowler +113
Justin Rose -128 vs. Rickie Fowler -102
Alex Noren +109 vs. Si Woo Kim -139
Carlos Ortiz -102 vs. Jhonattan Vegas -128
Charles Howell III -154 vs. Adam Hadwin +123
Cameron Champ +107 vs. Gary Woodland -137
Chris Kirk -119 vs. Russell Knox -111
Brendon Todd +111 vs. Emiliano Grillo -141
Phil Mickelson +136 vs. Lucas Glover -171
Kyung Hoon Lee -132 vs. Michael Thompson +102
Hayden Buckley +100 vs. Harold Varner III -130
Adam Long -104 vs. Brendan Steele -126
Need to Know
Some normalcy returns with the pro-am and three-course format back in play. 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 14 winners all scoring 20-under or better. Si Woo Kim held off Cantlay to earn a one-shot win last year at 23-under. The pro-am field will play 18 holes on each course over the first three days with the cut of low 65 and ties 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 +130 vs. Jon Rahm
Only in a matchup with the world’s best will you find Cantlay at this price. And since I’m always looking for value I have to lean toward the reigning Player of the Year. He picked up where last season left off coming off an extended break with a solo fourth at the TOC a few weeks ago. And it’s hard to overlook his run at the title here last year that ended one-shot short. Cantlay made things interesting with a record 61 in the final round and has a top-10 from his previous visit. At his price I have no issues backing Cantlay.
Phil Mickelson +136 vs. Lucas Glover
I’ve always been a fan of Mickelson and I couldn’t pass on him at this price. Sure, I might be throwing money away given Lefty’s recent showing, but he’s got something left in his bag as evidenced by his win at the PGA Championship. There is no pressure on him to perform, which should help, and he makes it a point to play this event since it’s in his backyard. He missed the cut last year, but he has a pair of podium finishes since 2016 and two victories from the early 2000s. One more charge in Lefty’s bag yields a nice payout for backers.
Matthew Wolff -103 vs. Patrick Reed
All appears to be going well for Wolff since his return last summer. It’s a small sample size, but he leads the Tour in scoring average this season by finishing among the top-20 in each of his four starts. The run included a solo second in the Shriners and a T5 at Mayakoba. His last start produced a T11 in the Houston Open back in November.
Seamus Power +101 vs. Russell Henley
The Irishman has quietly moved up the ranks cracking the OWGR top-50 following his T3 at Waialae last week continuing a recent hot streak. Powers’ two previous starts resulted in a T15 at the TOC and a T4 in the RSM Classic last November. He’s placed among the top-25 in each of his six made cuts this season and he has a pair of top-25s in three AMX starts. He looks like another solid value pick.
Abraham Ancer +100 vs. Corey Conners
It might be a good idea for Ancer to skip the Hawai’i swing in the future. Following a T35-MC he’s happy to be headed to California this week. The PGA West courses have treated him well the last few years. He was T18 in 2019 and finished as runner-up two years ago. He followed that with a T5 last year and should feel much more comfortable with his surroundings. His strong short game will play well in milder conditions.
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