American Express Odds to Win: PGA Tour Golf Betting Preview for PGA West in La Quinta
You'll find Scottie Scheffler, making his 2026 PGA Tour tournament debut at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., at the top of The American Express odds to win leaderboard.
This event has been a sweet spot for long-shot bets in recent years, as five of the past six champions at PGA West had odds of +5000 or longer before the tournament. Last year was no different, with Sepp Straka winning.
📊 American Express odds to win 2026
Our live The American Express odds will update in real time based on the odds from our best golf betting sites.
💰 Pick to win The American Express
Chris Kirk (+15000)
Travel back from the Sony Open in Hawaii won't be as much of an issue for Chris Kirk as some of the top contenders in this field, after he missed the cut last week. I prefer to bet on someone who returned stateside early after shaking off some competitive rust in the first tournament of the season, and we're getting inflated odds as a result.
Kirk played this tournament each of the past five years, and had a top finish of T-3 three years ago. Though he enters this week just 77th in the OWGR, he played some of his best golf late last season. He gains strokes in all key metrics, including 0.84 strokes gained: approach per round over the past six months.
A winning $10 bet at the +15000 outright odds would return a profit of $1,500. A victory would match Kirk as the second-biggest long-shot winner of this event in the past six years.
🏆 American Express betting favorite
Scottie Scheffler (+300)
I originally passed on betting Scheffler in the outright market, as his odds opened below +300. We have our buy point for the No. 1 golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) at +300. Scheffler won six of the events he played last year, good for a 28.6% win rate. We can now take the +300 odds at an implied win probability of just 25%.
Scheffler skipped this event last year due to injury but had played it each of the five previous years. His best finish was a third-place result in his tournament debut, and he placed between T-11 and T-25 each of the past three years, with only one missed cut in this tournament.
But this tournament is a scoring fest and a putting competition. That lends itself to long-shot winners who can get hot for one weekend. All but one of the past six champions at PGA West had pre-tournament odds of +5000 or longer. Bet on Scheffler to win as a form of hedge against three other long-shot picks.
🚩 PGA West course info & key stats
Here's what to know to handicap The American Express at PGA West, this tournament is played over three course rotation. This tournament features a 54-hole cut, with all golfers rotating among the three courses for their first three rounds, and the final round played on the Pete Dye Stadium Course on Sunday:
| Course | Yardage | Greens | Architect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pete Dye Stadium Course | Par: 72 | 7,215 yards | Bermuda | Pete Dye |
| La Quinta Country Club | Par: 72 | 7,060 yards | Bermuda | Lawrence Hughes |
| Nicklaus Tournament Course | Par: 72 | 7,149 yards | Bermuda | Jack Nicklaus |
Key stats
- Birdie or better percentage
- Par 5 scoring average
- Strokes gained: approach
- Proximity from 100-125 yards
- Strokes gained: off-the-tee
- 3-putt avoidance
👀 American Express betting report
Here is how betting action is coming in on The American Express at BetMGM:
| Most tickets | Most handle | Biggest liabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler (9.6%) | Scottie Scheffler (17.4%) | Si Woo Kim |
| Ben Griffin (4.5%) | Russell Henley (11.4%) | Scottie Scheffler |
| Ludvig Aberg (4.2%) | Si Woo Kim (9.1%) | Michael Brennan |
Most bet to finish Top 20 (tickets)
- Emilio Gonzalez +1200
- J.T. Poston +225
- Ludvig Aberg +110
- Chandler Phillips +600
- Matt Fitzpatrick +160
Most bet Winner WITHOUT Scottie Scheffler (tickets)
- Ben Griffin +1600
- Max Homa +7500
- Alex Noren +4000
- Ludvig Aberg +1800
- Sam Burns +2500
💡 American Express expert picks
- American Express prediction market
- American Express Cheat Sheet
- American Express first-round leader predictions
- American Express picks
- American Express long-shot picks
- American Express odds
⛳ The American Express tournament info 2026
- Where: PGA West (La Quinta, Calif.)
- When: Thursday, Jan. 22 - Sunday, Jan. 25
- Field: 156
- Favorite: Scottie Scheffler (+300 via BetMGM)
- Defending champion: Sepp Straka
- Purse: $9.2 million
- FedEx Cup points: 500
📜 The American Express betting history
Here are the recent winners of The American Express at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.:
| Year | Winner | Score to par | Odds (prior to Round 1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sepp Straka | -25 | +5000 |
| 2024 | Nick Dunlap | -29 | +30000 |
| 2023 | Jon Rahm | -27 | +750 |
| 2022 | Hudson Swafford | -23 | +15000 |
| 2021 | Si Woo Kim | -23 | +6000 |
| 2020 | Andrew Landry | -26 | +20000 |
| 2019 | Adam Long | -26 | Field (+1000) |
| 2018 | Jon Rahm | -22 (playoff) | +800 |
| 2017 | Hudson Swafford | -20 | +5000 |
| 2016 | Jason Dufner | -25 (playoff) | +4000 |
❓ American Express FAQs
Who is favored to win The American Express?
Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite to The American Express with odds of +300 representing an implied win probability of 25%.
Who won The American Express last year?
Sepp Straka won The American Express last year at odds of +5000. He has odds of +4500 to defend that title this week.
Where is The American Express?
The American Express is played at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. The tournament is played on a three-course rotation of La Quinta Country Club, Nicklaus Tournament Course, and Pete Dye Stadium Course. All golfers will rotate among the courses for the first three rounds and those make the 54-hole cut will play Sunday's final round on the Stadium Course.
When is The American Express?
The American Express begins Thursday with the first tee times at 8:30 a.m. ET. The final round will be Sunday.
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