Following a two week stay in Hawai’i, the PGA Tour returns to the mainland for the first time in 2024 with The American Express in La Quinta, Calif. opening a five-tournament stay on the West Coast. The AMX brings with it the familiar pro-am and three-course format along with a star-studded cast. Pros will be grouped with amateurs for the first three rounds with cuts after 54 holes. Sunday’s final round will be played on the PGA West Stadium Course, which is considered the most difficult of the three. One thing we are sure of is that there will be a new champion with 2023 titlist Jon Rahm headed to LIV Golf. That leaves crumbs for guys like Scottie Scheffler, who opened as the betting favorite and the only player on the early line with shorter than 10/1 odds. The new calendar year schedule produced two longshot winners in Hawai’i with Chris Kirk and Grayson Murray both scheduled to peg it up this week. A number of players, including Justin Thomas, will be making their season debut. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
The American Express Betting Odds
Scottie Scheffler +482
Patrick Cantlay +1000
Xander Schauffele +1415
Sungjae Im +2350
Justin Thomas +2750
Sam Burns +2750
Tom Kim +2950
Minwoo Lee +3200
Eric Cole +3550
Tony Finau +3550
J.T. Poston +3750
Jason Day +4250
Cameron Davis +4350
Wyndham Clark +4550
Si Woo Kim +4650
Chris Kirk +5050
Rickie Fowler +5350
Stephan Jaeger +5550
Akshay Bhatia +5850
Adam Hadwin +6050
Taylor Montgomery +6550
Andrew Putnam +6550
Keith Mitchell +6850
Beau Hossler +7550
Taylor Pendrith +7550
Adam Schenk +8050
Shane Lowry +8050
Alex Noren +9050
Alex Smalley +9850
Odds Analysis
Adam Hadwin +6050
One of just a few players to shoot 59 on Tour, Hadwin did that in this tournament a few years ago. Of course that doesn’t mean squat coming into this week, but it’s impressive nonetheless. And you have to consider that Hadwin is trending in the right direction after closing with a 64 to move into the top 15 at Kapalua. And that 59 isn’t a one-off either since Hadwin has produced strong results in this event going 8 for 8 with four top 10s and two runners-up.
Tom Kim +2950
A scoring machine on a course notorious for low scores puts Kim in the cross hairs on my list of outright winners. Heck, I’ll probably even back him in alternate markets as well since I’m as confident in his game as he is. You can’t afford to make mistakes on any of the layouts since they off little resistance and Kim doesn’t hurt himself. He chiseled off some rust at The Sentry a few months after winning the Shriners, which was his ninth top 10 of last season.
Chris Kirk +5050
The stars keep aligning for Kirk and I’m going to back him until the alignment is off. That could happen this week, but given his results to open the season I’m betting it doesn’t. Kirk emerged with a victory at The Sentry and was T18 at Waialae last week. A 63-64 close last year got Kirk into contention eventually setting for a T3 just two swings back. It was Kirk’s second top-16 finish in his last three visits to this event.
J.T. Poston +3750
It feels like it’s time for Poston to breakthrough. He wasn’t won on Tour in 18 months but he’s been so close. He opened the season with a T5 at Kapalua before a solo sixth at Waialae to punctuate a productive Hawai’i trip. That followed a close to last season where Poston registered five top 10s in his last nine starts. He was also consistent in his last visit to La Quinta carding 66 or better three times in route to a 23-under that earned him a share of sixth.
Xander Schauffele +1415
It always seems like Schauffele is hanging around the top of the leaderboard however the wins have been tough to come by with his drought extending nearly 18 months. Much like Poston it hasn’t been from a lack of trying. He started the season with a top 10 at The Sentry and he’s been consistent as ever since his closing 62 here last year vaulted him into a share of third. It’s time for the favorites to show their mettle and the X-man is the player that stands out.
Courses: PGA West Stadium Course; PGA West Nicklaus Course; La Quinta CC
The three course format is more out of necessity than by design. With amateurs competing along with a full field of pros, having everyone complete a round before darkness sets in requires multiple layouts. Pros and amateurs will each play PGA West Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course and La Quinta Country Club over the first three days with the cut rule in effect after Round 3. Those surviving the cut will play the final 18 holes on the Stadium Course, which is considered the most difficult typically playing two or more strokes harder on average. It plays around 7,100 yards at par-72 with five scoreable par 4s that are less than 410 yards. There are hazards to watch out for, including heavy rough, strategically placed bunkers and water in play on nearly half the holes.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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