The PGA Tour returns to California in January as some of the top players in the world head to the Coachella Valley desert in La Quinta for the eagerly anticipated American Express tournament.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s tournament odds of 35/1 will appeal to punters looking for a value each-bet, but the best golf betting sites featured on comparison website bettingtop10.com/gb/ rate world number one Scott Scheffler as a 4/1 shot to win the title.
Scheffler will be joined by 11 of the other top ranked 25 players, which makes this tournament a useful pointer for what the rest of 2026 has in store. Read on as we preview the event.
The American Express 2026 – Outright Betting Odds
Scheffler will make his long-awaited return to action at the tournament. He has not played a competitive tournament since his disappointing performance at the Ryder Cup.
This is the sixth time he will feature in the American Express after missing last year’s tournament due to a freak hand injury. Here are the outright odds for the 2026 American Express in California.
- Scottie Scheffler – 4/1
- Robert MacIntyre – 22/1
- Russell Henley – 22/1
- Ben Griffin – 25/1
- Ludvig Aberg – 25/1
- Si Woo Kim – 28/1
- Patrick Cantlay – 30/1
- Sam Burns – 33/1
- Harry Hall – 35/1
- Matt Fitzpatrick – 35/1
- Sepp Straka – 45/1
- Taylor Pendrith – 45/1
- Daniel Berger – 50/1
- Kurt Kitayama – 50/1
- Ryan Gerard – 50/1
- Alex Noren – 55/1
- Michael Thorbjornsen – 55/1
- Harris English – 60/1
- Min Woo Lee – 60/1
- Akshay Bhatia – 66/1
- JT Poston – 66/1
- Pierceson Coody – 66/1
- Rasmus Hojgaard – 66/1
- Rico Hoey – 66/1
- Adam Scott – 70/1
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout – 70/1
- Davis Thompson – 70/1
- Denny McCarthy – 70/1
- Jacob Bridgeman – 70/1
- Jason Day – 70/1
- Justin Rose – 70/1
- Nick Taylor – 70/1
- Rickie Fowler – 70/1
- Patrick Rodgers – 75/1
- Alex Smalley – 80/1
- Michael Kim – 80/1
- Sam Stevens – 80/1
- Will Zalatoris – 80/1
- Wyndham Clark – 80/1
- Matt McCarty – 90/1
- Max Greyserman – 90/1
- Max Homa – 90/1
- Sahith Theegala – 90/1
- Brian Harman – 100/1
- Bud Cauley – 100/1
- Keith Mitchell – 100/1
- Kevin Yu – 100/1
- Mac Meissner – 10/1
The American Express 2026 – The Courses, Format & Preview
Unlike most PGA Tour events, the American Express is played across three different courses during the first three rounds.
Players rotate between the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West, the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West and La Quinta Country Club. The field is then cut, and the final round is contested on the Stadium Course.
Each course has greens that run at different speeds, holes laid out in different ways, and visuals that can affect how shots look and feel. That makes it difficult for players to be consistent, but those who thrive in the conditions are the ones who will be successful.
The Pete Dye Stadium Course is usually the toughest venue, which explains why it is used for the final round. It requires players to make smart decisions and rewards precise approach shots. The Nicklaus Tournament Course is less daunting, while La Quinta Country Club traditionally yields lower scores, giving players a chance to build momentum.
The spotlight will firmly be on Scheffler, who is making his return to competitive action. He featured at December’s Hero World Challenge and finished joint-fourth, but the American Express will be his first true competitive test in several months.
This tournament also represents something of a personal reset for Scheffler. He was forced to miss the 2025 event after suffering a hand injury in a freak kitchen accident on Christmas Day. It delayed his start to the season and forced him to wait until Pebble Beach to begin his campaign. He will be keen to finally lift his first trophy at the American Express on his sixth attempt.
The set-up of the tournament makes it one of the most unpredictable events on the PGA, which means often pays to look further down the betting market for the winner.
Russell Henley holds plenty of appeal at odds of 22/1. He is a strong driver, has a solid wedge game and puts well, which are usually good pointers in this tournament.
He has previously shot 64 and 65 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course, so he could be a good bet if he can score well on the other courses.