The American Express 2024: Field, betting odds, and tee times for the PGA Tour event

The PGA Tour heads to California for the American Express with a star-studded field, but the defending champion won’t be there.

Jon Rahm shot 27-under-par on his way to a one-shot victory over Davis Thompson in 2023 but, having defected to LIV Golf for huge money in the off-season, the Spaniard is ineligible having been suspended by the PGA Tour.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler headlines the field in La Quinta and is joined by three other players from the OWGR Top 10 in Ryder Cup teammates Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, and Wyndham Clark. Rory McIlroy is not in the field having chosen to play in the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic (read our full preview).

Who is playing in The American Express?

The PGA Tour’s opening event of the West Coast swing attracts 22 of the world’s top 50 players.

As mentioned, Scheffler, Schauffele, Cantlay, and Clark are the star attractions, but fellow Ryder Cup USA stars Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau, and Justin Thomas are also in action. Shane Lowry is the only member of Ryder Cup Europe to tee it up in California, while Michael Block, the PGA Pro who became dubbed the ‘People’s Champion’ following his 15th place finish at the 2023 PGA Championship, also makes the field.

See the full list of 156 pros who are teeing it up for the American Express and how they qualified here.

What is the format of The American Express?

The American Express, previously known as the Desert Classic, is a traditional strokeplay format, played across three separate par 72 courses.

After playing one round on each course, those players making the 54-hole cut will face off one more time on the Stadium Course to decide who takes the spoils. Scoring is expected to be strong with a projected 10-under likely needed just to earn a tee-time on Sunday.

Where is The American Express played?

The American Express will be held across three diverse courses at the PGA West grounds of La Quinta, California – the Pete Dye Stadium Course (Par 72, 7187 yards), La Quinta Country Club (Par 72, 7060 yards), and the Nicklaus Tournament Course (Par 72, 7159 yards).

Each course demands a slightly different style of golf, but one commonality is that players not hitting a high percentage of greens will struggle to make enough birdies to keep pace with the leaders. The winning score averages close to 30-under par!

See where the Pete Dye Stadium Course ranks in our Top-100 Best Golf Courses in the USA.

Who will win The American Express?

If Scottie Scheffler can get his putter hot this week, then few are likely to stay with the pace. Snapping at his heels either way though will be the strong American contingent of Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, and Sam Burns.

The Australian duo of Min Woo Lee and Jason Day will also fancy their chances of challenging at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon.

Selected odds (correct at 4 pm GMT on Jan 15, 2024)

Scottie Scheffler 6/1

Patrick Cantlay 8/1

Xander Scauffele 10/1

Justin Thomas 22/1

Min Woo Lee 28/1

Sam Burns 33/1

Jason Day 35/1

Tony Finau 35/1

Rickie Fowler 40/1

Shane Lowry 50/1

Billy Horshel 80/1

How much does The American Express winner receive?

The purse in 2024 rises by $400,00 to $8,400,000, almost $3.5 million more than the 2011 edition, which was the last before the event was shortened to 72 holes.

This year’s winner is set to take home a $1,512,000 share, up from $1,440,000 in 2023.

How to watch The American Express

UK viewers can catch all the action on Sky Sports Golf

All times GMT

Thursday, January 18: Sky Sports Golf, 21.00

Friday, January 19: Sky Sports Golf, 21.00

Saturday, January 20: Sky Sports Golf, 18.00

Sunday, January 21: Sky Sports Golf, 18.00

US viewers can catch all the action on Golf Channel

All times EST

Thursday, January 18: The Golf Channel, 16.00

Friday, January 19: The Golf Channel, 16.00

Saturday, January 20: The Golf Channel, 15.00

Sunday, January 21: The Golf Channel, 16.00

The American Express Tee Times

Tee times for the first three rounds can be viewed here.

About the Author

Rob Jerram – Digital Editor

Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.

He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge when it comes to golf balls, golf trolleys, and golf bags, testing thousands down the years.

Rob uses a Callaway Paradym driver, TaylorMade M5 5-wood, TaylorMade P790 driving iron, Callaway Paradym irons (4-AW), TaylorMade MG3 wedges (52º, 58º), Odyssey Tri-Hot 5k Double Wide putter, and Callaway Chrome Soft X golf ball.

You can email Rob or get in touch with him on X.