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American Express preview: What to know for the TOUR's return to California

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The PGA TOUR returns to the mainland with the American Express in California after two incredible weeks in Hawaii saw Cameron Smith and Hideki Matsuyama emerge with victories.

The tournament's pro-am portion is back, having been canceled in 2021 due to COVID-19. That means the PGA West's Stadium Course and Nicklaus Tournament Course and the La Quinta Country Club will be used in this year's event.

Unlike most TOUR events, the pro-am format this week will ensure all players in the field get 54 holes - 18 on each of the three courses in play. The top 65 players will then play the final round Sunday at the Stadium Course.

When: Jan. 20-23
Where: La Quinta, California

How to watch

Date Channel Time (ET)
Jan. 20 Golf Channel 3-7 p.m.
Jan. 21 Golf Channel 3-7 p.m.
Jan. 22 Golf Channel 3-7 p.m.
Jan. 23 Golf Channel 3-7 p.m.

Last year's result

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Si Woo Kim registered his third PGA TOUR win - and first since 2018 - with two birdies on his final three holes to hold off a charging Patrick Cantlay by one stroke.

The South Korean's final-round 64 was tied for second-lowest of the final day and provided just enough cushion to outlast Cantlay's brilliant closing round of 61.

Previous winners

2021: Si Woo Kim (-23) over Patrick Cantlay
2020: Andrew Landry (-26) over Abraham Ancer
2019: Adam Long (-26) over Phil Mickelson, Adam Hadwin
2018: Jon Rahm (-22) in a playoff over Andrew Landry
2017: Hudson Swafford (-20) over Adam Hadwin
2016: Jason Dufner (-25) in a playoff over David Lingmerth
2015: Bill Haas (-22) over five players
2014: Patrick Reed (-28) over Ryan Palmer
2013: Brian Gay (-25) over Charles Howell III, David Lingmerth

The field

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Jon Rahm headlines the field, with the World No. 1 returning to the site of his victory in the 2018 season. He's joined by top names like Cantlay, Tony Finau, Sungjae Im, Patrick Reed, Matthew Wolff, and Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson's had great success in the event before, claiming two titles and shooting a blistering 60 in the opening round in 2019 at La Quinta.

See full field here.

Featured groups (all times ET)

Group: Jimmy Walker, Patton Kizzire
Thursday - 12:20 p.m. (Stadium Course)

Group: Talor Gooch, Charles Howell III
Thursday - 1:00 p.m. (Stadium Course)

Group: Sungjae Im, Abraham Ancer
Thursday - 1:30 p.m. (Nicklaus Tournament Course)

Group: Russell Henley, Chris Kirk
Thursday - 1:20 p.m. (Nicklaus Tournament Course)

The courses

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With the tournament operating under a pro-am format, the three par-72 courses are kept at a manageable level for amateur players. That leads to some incredibly low scoring despite the Stadium Course's tough reputation.

The two PGA West courses are par 72. The 7,147-yard Nicklaus Tournament Course is the easier of the two, while the 7,158-yard Stadium Course designed by Pete Dye is certainly more famous. The latter is similar to TPC Sawgrass, with diabolical challenges that can lead to huge shot swings on a hole-by-hole basis.

La Quinta Country Club is a 7,060-yard, par 72 course that yields the best scoring chances for the field, as evidenced by Adam Hadwin's magical round of 59 in 2017.

Betting corner

Jon Rahm +550
Patrick Cantlay +900
Scottie Scheffler +1,800
Sung-Jae Im +2,000
Tony Finau +2,000
Corey Conners +2,200
Abraham Ancer +2,500
Matthew Wolff +2,800
Seamus Power +2,800
Talor Gooch +2,800
Patrick Reed +3,500
Russell Henley +3,500
Will Zalatoris +4,000
Cameron Tringale +4,500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +5,000
Justin Rose +5,500
Rickie Fowler +6,000
Adam Hadwin +6,500

Odds via ScoreBet

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