Following a two week stay in Hawai’i, the PGA Tour returns to the mainland for the first time in 2022 with The American Express in La Quinta, Calif. opening the five-tournament West Coast Swing. After the unique format of the event was scrubbed last year, we return to the pro-am and three-course rotation. 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 widely considered the most difficult of the three layouts in use. World No. 1 Jon Rahm is set to make his first appearance in this event since winning the title in 2018. Rahm is the prohibitive favorite and one of just two golfers with shorter than 10/1 odds on the opening line. Right behind him is Patrick Cantlay, who shot a course record 61 in last year’s final round only to lose by a swing to defending champ Si Woo Kim. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win The American Express
Jon Rahm +600
Patrick Cantlay +900
Scottie Scheffler +2000
Sungjae Im +2000
Tony Finau +2000
Abraham Ancer +2200
Corey Conners +2200
Matthew Wolff +2800
Patrick Reed +3000
Seamus Power +3000
Talor Gooch +3000
Russell Henley +3300
Will Zalatoris +4500
Cameron Tringale +5000
Rickie Fowler +5000
Alex Noren +5500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +5500
Justin Rose +6000
Si Woo Kim +6000
Jhonattan Vegas +6500
Carlos Ortiz +7000
Brian Harman +7500
Charles Howell III +7500
Adam Hadwin +7500
Chris Kirk +8000
Gary Woodland +8000
Luke List +8000
Phil Mickelson +8000
Cameron Champ +8000
Jason Day +8000
Sebastian Munoz +8000
Odds Analysis
Abraham Ancer +2200
I thought Ancer would have a bigger price tag after missing the cut last week in Hawai’i. Still, I like his chances even though I’m not getting better value. Last year Ancer failed to play the weekend at the Sony Open and responded by finishing in the top-5 at this event. Can lightning strike twice? The American Express has been good to Abe with three top-20s in his last three starts including a runner-up two years ago. His short game and superb ball striking should be helpful on the courses that are all similar in length.
Patrick Cantlay +900
I typically don’t go this high on the odds board but it’s hard to ignore Cantlay after his brilliant last season and fast start to the new campaign. Ranked No. 4 in the OWGR, Cantlay fired a bogey-free 67 to close the Sentry TOC in fourth place. He skipped the Sony Open to prep for this looking to one up his second-place showing from a year ago. And boy did he make things interesting in that final round with a course record 61 to finish one shot off the pace. He has the game to rock these courses and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cantlay hanging with the leaders.
Rickie Fowler +5000
We haven’t seen much of Fowler lately in fact he’s pegging it up for the first time since Mayakoba in November. A lot has happened in the meantime with dad being a new name. We saw other players grapple with fatherhood and their game suffered, notably Rory McIlroy, but he bounced back and I expect Fowler will too. He’s too good to write off and while this might not be the best tournament to back him after a lengthy absence, I’ll bet he’s ready to tackle the course and do it well.
Tony Finau +2000
I always find myself backing Finau even though he has just two career Tour wins. It seems like it should be more given the number of times he’s been near the top, and the dam is going to burst at some point. I just hope I still have the confidence in him when it does take place. Finau has been strong in this event finishing fourth last year with a top-15 the year before.
Francesco Molinari +15000
We’ve seen longshots win here in the past and Molinari certainly falls into that category. The Italian dropped off the radar for awhile and recently returned claiming to be fit once again. It hasn’t done much for his game, but the back issues that forced him to withdraw from his last start are seemingly in the past. Molinari was one of the top players on the European Tour not that long ago and a return to health should help him find his game, and at this price I think he’s worth a small investment.
Courses: PGA West Stadium Course; PGA West Nicklaus Course; La Quinta CC
It’s back to the three-course format with La Quinta Country Club back in the mix. With a full field of pros and a slew of amateurs, the courses are needed to make sure play concludes every day. Pros and ams 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 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 seven holes.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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