Out of the Rough: The American Express (2026)

The PGA Tour heads to the continental United States for the first time during the 2026 season for this week’s The American Express.

The American Express also serves as the first pro-Am of the season, as each of the first three days will see a professional paired with an amateur.

Also unique to this event is the fact that it is staged over three different courses across the first three days with the cut coming after 54-holes. 

Across each of the first three days, golfers will play each of the Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course and the La Quinta Country Club. Although different, each course is part of PGA West and are essentially different forms of birdie-fest type venues.

Professionals who make the cut will then return to the Stadium Course for the final round on Sunday.

Each of the first three days will see two professionals and two amateurs per hole, which also makes each round on average, the longest of the season.

The cut will consist of the top 70 golfers plus ties.

The Field

As we return to the continental United States, many of the Tour’s best will be using this event as their 2026 debut.

Among those making their season debut is World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who will be making his sixth start at The American Express.

Justin Rose (No. 10,) Harris English (No. 11,) Sepp Straka (No 12,) Alex Noren (No. 13,) Ludvig Aberg (No. 18,) Matt Fitzpatrick (No. 21,) Sam Burns (No. 24) and Patrick Cantlay (No. 25) are other notable names making their season debut this week.

Other notable names teeing it up this week include Russell Henley (No. 5,) Robert MacIntyre (No. 7) and Ben Griffin (No. 8.)

Straka comes in as the defending champion, having topped Justin Thomas by two strokes a season ago.

Other former winners of this event playing this week include Nick Dunlap (2024,) Si Woo Kim (2021,) Andrew Landry (2020,) Jason Dufner (2016,) Jhonathan Vegas (2011) and Charley Hoffman (2007.)

The Course(s)

Although the event takes place over three different courses, for the sake of this article I will be focusing on the Stadium Course due to it being played twice this week and the only one of the courses to have strokes gained data.

The Stadium Course

This is easily the most difficult of the three venues golfers will play this week.

It is a Pete Dye design that emulates TPC Sawgrass - home of THE PLAYERS Championship.

It plays as a Par-72 at 7,187 yards,

Water is the course's main line of defense as it comes into play on seven holes. Avoiding the water will be the biggest challenge golfers face this week.

Beyond the water, this course’s other main line of defense is its par-threes. Three of the par-threes featured this week rank as the first, second and fourth toughest holes on the entire course.

Being able to navigate these challenging par-threes will be the key to an hopeful winner.

Overall, there are ten holes at the Stadium Course with a scoring average below par.

Nicklaus Tournament Course

As previously mentioned, both the Nicklaus Tournament Course and the La Quinta Country Club are much easier than the Stadium Course.

The Nicklaus Tournament Course plays as a Par-72 at 7,147 yards

This is also the only course on the PGA Tour to feature two island greens. 

La Quinta Country Club

This is the easiest of the three courses and at one point, between 2017 and 2020, played as the easiest par-72 on the entire PGA Tour.

It plays as a par-72 at 7,060 yards.

Both the Nicklaus Tournament Course and the La Quinta Country Club offer very low scoring, as they both feature a scoring average of -2.1. 

They also share the same concentration of short par-fours and reachable par-fives.

Golfers must capitalize on their two rounds at these two courses if they want a chance to win.

Each of the three courses feature Bermuda greens and as this event lines up to be a birdie-fest, putting will be the difference.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, there is a zero-percent chance of precipitation on Thursday, a five-percent chance on Friday, a ten-percent chance on Saturday and a zero-percent chance on Sunday. Temperatures will begin at 76-degrees on Thursday before settling to 75-degrees on Friday and bouncing back to 77-degrees across both days on the weekend. Winds are set for just six miles-per-hour for all of Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday calls for seven miles-per-hour winds.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bermuda (SG: PUTT Bermuda)

• Hit Fairway Percentage

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Par 5 Average Scoring

• Par 3 Average Scoring

• Sand Saves Percentage

• Scrambling

• Proximity to the Hole from 150-175 Yards

• Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)

Betting Card

Russell Henley (+2500)

I debated heavily between Henley and Ben Griffin this week due to Griffin’s recent course history here. I settled on Henley because he offers the better number. Henley finished last season tenth on Tour in both hit fairway percentage and par-three average scoring, 13th in SG: APP, 21st in scrambling, 23rd in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 26th in GIR%, 42nd in birdie-or-better percentage, 53rd in sand saves percentage, 60th in SG: PUTT Bermuda and 69th in par-five average scoring. Henley hasn’t played this event since 2022 where he placed 14th. He missed the cut in both 2021 and 2020. Henley played last week in Hawaii where he placed T19th.

Akshay Bhatia (+8000)

With Scottie Scheffler and some other big names in the field, we’re getting great numbers on the rest of the field. Bhatia finished last season tenth on Tour in par-three average scoring, 12th in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 14th in SG: APP, 18th in birdie-or-better percentage, 46th in sand saves percentage, 72nd in hit fairway percentage, 81st in GIR%, 104th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 145th in par-five average scoring and 153rd in scrambling. We haven’t seen Bhatia since the Hero World Challenge where he placed 14th. He’s played this event three times, missing the cut in each of 2024, 2021 and 2020.

Kevin Yu (+8000)

New year, but same Nate. We’re back on ol’ trusty, Kevin Yu. He finished last season 13th on Tour in birdie-or-better percentage, 14th in GIR%, 20th in par-three average scoring, 22nd in par-five average scoring, 39th in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 42nd in SG: APP, 50th in hit fairway percentage, 85th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 145th in sand saves percentage and 159th in scrambling. Yu missed the cut here last year but placed third in 2024. He also played in 2023 where he missed the cut. We haven’t seen Yu since the Butterfield Bermuda Championship where he missed the cut. 

Matt McCarty (+15000)

McCarty has made just one appearance here, missing the cut a season ago. He also teed it up last week where he placed T55th in Hawaii. McCarty finished last season tenth on Tour in par-three average scoring, 28th in scrambling, 31st in both hit fairway percentage and birdie-or-better percentage, 38th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 62nd in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 63rd in par-five average scoring, 100th in GIR%, 116th in SG: APP and 136th in sand saves percentage. 

Nico Echavarria (+30000)

Talk about value. This was my first click this week. Echavarria’s game lines up with this tournament too well to ignore and at 300/1, I couldn’t leave that on the board. He finished last season third on Tour in par-three average scoring, fourth in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 30th in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 33rd in birdie-or-better percentage, 39th in sand saves percentage, 53rd in hit fairway percentage, 63rd in par-five average scoring, 74th in scrambling, 86th in SG: APP and 89th in GIR%. However, he hasn’t been great here in the past, missing the cut in 2025, placing 65th in 2024 and missing the cut in 2023. He also missed the cut in Hawaii last week.

Andrew Putnam (+75000)

Once again, this number was way too big for me to leave on the board. Putnam has some decent course history here. He missed the cut a season ago but placed 47th in 2024, 36th in 2023, 14th in 2022, 21st in 2021 and tenth in 2020. Putnam last played The RSM Classic where he placed T25th. Putnam finished last season eighth on Tour in hit fairway percentage, ninth in scrambling, 17th in sand saves percentage, 20th in par-three average scoring, 23rd in GIR%, 35th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 46th in SG: APP, 58th in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 83rd in par-five average scoring and 135th in birdie-or-better percentage. 

2025 Betting Card

• Tony Finau (+2500) - MC

• Davis Thompson (+4500) - T51st

• Ben Griffin (+7000) - T7th

• Tom Hoge (+7000) - T29th

• Michael Kim (+14000) - T43rd

2024 Betting Card

• Xander Schauffele (+900) - T3

• Tom Kim (+3800) - MC

• Eric Cole (+3500) - T21st

• Andrew Putnam (+8000) - T47th

• Adam Hadwin (+8000) - T6th