2026 American Express preview: Predictions, expert picks as Scottie Scheffler starts his PGA Tour season
The No. 1 player, among 28 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings, tees it up this week on the PGA Tour
•
5 min read
The PGA Tour heads to the mainland as the 2025 American Express takes center stage this week in Palm Springs, California. Transversing two courses at PGA West and La Quinta Country Club, players will be forced to make birdies in bunches as a strong field embarks on this three-course rotation that will feature a cut at the 54-hole mark.
Leading the way is the man who was forced to miss the festivities last season: world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Named PGA Tour Player of the Year each of the last four seasons, Scheffler looks for more of the same as he gets his 2026 season underway. But how can a man who seems to do no wrong get even better?
Scheffler looked at his 2025 season, which consisted of 20 top 25 finishes in as many starts plus six trophies and identified the start of his campaign as an area to improve. Not quite 100% by the time he returned from his hand injury, Scheffler has taken a conscious effort regarding his endurance and appears ripe for a fast start to the new year.
If it starts in any way like his 2025 ended -- six victories in his last 12 PGA Tour starts -- the rest of the world will be up against a monster yet again. Scheffler headlines the action, which includes his good friend Sam Burns and fellow U.S. Ryder Cup team members Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley and Ben Griffin.
A large European contingent finds itself in the field as well with Ludvig Åberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, reigning champion Sepp Straka and Justin Rose all rearing to go. While all these players hope to mirror the success of last season, there are others like Rickie Fowler, Will Zalatoris and Max Homa who will attempt to put the past behind them and kick off their years in memorable fashions.
2026 American Express schedule
Dates: Jan. 22-25
Location: Pete Dye Stadium Course — La Quinta, California
Par: 72 | Yardage: 7,210 | Architect: Pete Dye
Purse: $9,200,000
2026 American Express field, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Scottie Scheffler (5/2): In five appearances, Scheffler has notched four top 25 finishes at the American Express. While some may be concerned that the low-scoring nature of the event breathes life into the rest of the field, let's not forget Scheffler boat raced the competition at the CJ Cyo Byron Nelson by reaching 31 under for the tournament. He's added some speed and remains the clear-cut best player in the world. The only question entering the year is whether he can putt as well as he did in 2025. If he does, he will continue to roll.
- Ben Griffin (20-1)
- Sam Burns (25-1): It has been more than three years since Burns has won a stroke-play event on the PGA Tour. Still ranked inside the top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings, the free-wheeling right-hander starts his season at a comfortable spot as he has collected four top 20 finishes in six starts. Even for his high standards, Burns' putter was red hot throughout the 2025 season and hid a lot of deficiencies in his game.
- Ludvig Åberg (25-1): In the blink of an eye, we have arrived at Åberg's fourth season on the PGA Tour -- albeit his third in a full-time capacity. The 26-year-old has taken steps every season from playing himself onto Ryder Cup teams, winning on the PGA Tour, contending in major championships and winning a signature event last season. He hit a lull in the middle of the year as his course management was questionable at times, but he found his stride late and looked a lot like the robot we have all grown accustomed to seeing.
- Russell Henley (28-1)
- Robert MacIntyre (28-1): MacIntyre is the sixth-ranked player in the world at the moment, and not a lot of people are keen on it. The Scotsman started his year in beautiful fashion thanks to a top-five finish at the Sony Open that included a closing 63. He mentioned his attitude was not up to par throughout the tournament and revealed that he even snapped his putter late in the second round due to frustrations on the greens. In his five worldwide starts since October, the left-hander has a win and three other top-10 results.
- Patrick Cantlay (30-1)
- Si Woo Kim (35-1)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (40-1): A winner at the DP World Tour Championship to cap off his 2025, Fitzpatrick found the culmination of all his hard work come to fruition in the Middle East. In what looked like a lost campaign early in the year, the former U.S. Open champion flipped a switch at the PGA Championship in May and never looked back. Fitzpatrick's iron play really found a groove during this portion of the schedule and was key to sparking this surge.
- Taylor Pendrith (40-1)
2026 American Express picks
| Winner (30-1): The last time Cantlay entered the winner's circle, the biggest members of the PGA Tour were gathering in Delaware to figure out the future of the league. That feels like ages ago, if not longer. The former FedEx Cup champion called upon Phil Kenyon to help with his putting late in 2025, leading to some success, including a runner-up at the Tour Championship. He has been known to take it deep and has four top-10 finishes in his last six appearances at this tournament. | |
| Contender (90-1): A first-round leader in his title defense at the Sony Open, Taylor ultimately fell off the pace and settled for a T13 finish. Still, the Canadian showed plenty of positive signs as he ranked second in greens in regulation and rolled the rock with some consistency. Taylor finally figured out this rotation last year with a T12 finish (the best of his American Express career) and has shown an affinity for golf in the desert. | |
| Sleeper (110-1): He is a player I like to take a step in the right direction in 2026, and he looked close last week in Honolulu. Upended by his short game and some uncharacteristic misses on the greens, McCarty will find the flat stick at a tournament that was once labeled a putting contest. Stretching back to the FedEx Cup Fall, the left-hander has been finding the center of the club face with much more consistency. | |
Who will win The American Express 2026, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 16 golf majors heading into the weekend, and find out.
