The American Express: What to know for TOUR's trip to California
The first pro-am of the 2023 schedule is upon us as the TOUR heads to La Quinta, California for The American Express.
Pros will play with an amateur for the first three rounds before the low 65 pros and ties make the 54-hole cut for the final round. On the line is 500 FedEx Cup points and a share of the $8-million purse.
When: Jan. 19-22
Where: La Quinta, California
How to watch
| DATE | TIME (ET) | CHANNEL |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 3-7 pm. | Golf Channel |
| Friday | 3-7 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| Saturday | 3-7 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| Sunday | 3-7 p.m. | Golf Channel |
Last year's result
Hudson Swafford shot a final-round 64 to win his second American Express title by two strokes over Tom Hoge. Despite being tied for 73rd after a first-round 70, Swafford was able to rally with a 65, a 66, and the final-round 64 to win.
The victory marked Swafford's third on TOUR at the age of 34. He was three strokes back of leaders Lee Hodges and Paul Barjon entering the final round.
Hodges went on to finish in a tie for third with Lanto Griffin and Brian Harman, and behind them was a group of Francesco Molinari, Denny McCarthy, and Will Zalatoris in a tie for sixth. Patrick Cantlay finished ninth, and Barjon finished 10th.
Recent winners
2022: Hudson Swafford (-23) over Tom Hoge
2021: Si Woo Kim (-23) over Patrick Cantlay
2020: Andrew Landry (-26) over Abraham Ancer
2019: Adam Long (-26) over Adam Hadwin, Phil Mickelson
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 Jason Lingmerth
2015: Bill Haas (-22) over 5 players
2014: Patrick Reed (-28) over Ryan Palmer
The field
Despite not being one of the TOUR's new designated events, The American Express was still able to grab some of the top stars for its field this week.
Highlighting the list of players who've made the trip to California are World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, No. 4. Jon Rahm, and No. 5 Cantlay. Si Woo Kim is also in the field following his win at the Sony Open in Hawaii last week.
Other notable players include Zalatoris, who is making just his second start since injuring his back in August 2022, Tony Finau, Sam Burns, Cameron Young, Sungjae Im, Xander Schauffele, and last year's late breakout star, Tom Kim.
Featured groups (all times ET)
Group: Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau
Thursday - 11:31 a.m.
Friday - 1:31 p.m.
Group: Cameron Young, Will Zalatoris
Thursday - 11:41 a.m.
Friday - 1:31 p.m.
Group: Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele
Thursday - 12:14 p.m.
Friday - 11:41 a.m.
Group: Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler
Thursday - 1:31 p.m.
Friday - 12:58 p.m.
The course
The American Express uses three different courses for the tournament: PGA West's Stadium Course, PGA West's Nicklaus Tournament Course, and La Quinta Country Club. They are all par 72 setups, ranging from 7,060 yards (La Quinta) to 7,187 (Stadium Course).
Two players have shot 59 during the event. David Duval did so in 1999 on the PGA West Palmer course, and Adam Hadwin did it in 2017 at La Quinta Country Club. The Stadium course's 18-hole record is a 61 by Cantlay, while the Nicklaus course's record is a 61 by Zalatoris.
Betting corner
Jon Rahm +650
Patrick Cantlay +1100
Scottie Scheffler +1100
Tony Finau +1400
Will Zalatoris +1800
Xander Schauffele +1800
Cameron Young +2200
Sungjae Im +2200
Tom Kim +2200
Brian Harman +2800
Sam Burns +2800
Si Woo Kim +3300
Aaron Wise +4000
Cam Davis +4000
Sahith Theegala +4000
Odds via theScore Bet