After two weeks in Hawaii, the PGA Tour is back on the U.S. mainland. The boys are headed to the California desert for the American Express, a tournament hosted by the coffee-drinking stallion, Phil Mickelson.
One thing that won’t change this week: the amount of birdies.
After two events in a row that produced 34 and 23 under winners, expect the same again.
World No. 1 Jon Rahm, whose last appearance was the Sentry Tournament of Champions (runner-up to Cameron Smith), is in the field as a past champion of the AmEx (2018) and the betting favorite (+550).
Three courses will be used throughout the week, with PGA West Stadium Course hosting the final round after a 54-hole cut.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds a full list.
Fantasy golf top 10
Jon Rahm (+550)
Jon Rahm plays a second shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 8, 2022 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
This is a chalk pick, no way around that. But it’s impossible to ignore what this man is doing right now. Every time he tees it up he’s near the top of the leaderboard with a chance to win. He’ll be expensive in lineups, but if you can afford him he’ll be worth it.
Patrick Cantlay (+900)
Another chalk pick, but another guy absolutely golfing his ball. He shot 61 in the final round here last season, nearly stealing the win from Si-Woo Kim. Cantlay is coming off a top-5 finish at the Sentry.
Scottie Scheffler (+2000)
The Texan is still looking for his first PGA Tour win, and this may be a great spot to grab it. Scheffler finished third here in 2020 and is coming off a fantastic fall season. Watch out for the Ryder-Cupper.
Russell Henley (+3000)
After having him for a top 20 and outright win last week, only feels right to come back to him. It hurt the soul to see him once again stumble down the back-nine at the Sony, but it’s easy to see he’s playing great golf.
Abraham Ancer (+3000)
Honest Abe is coming off a couple tough weeks in a row. After nearly coming in last at the Sentry TOC, Ancer missed the cut at the Sony Open. However, he loves it in the desert: in the last three seasons, Ancer owns the lowest cumulative score at the American Express.
Matthew Wolff (+3000)
Mathew Wolff celebrates after hitting a hole-in-one on the par-3 ninth hole during the final round of the Houston Open. (Photo: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports)
Whenever there’s going to be a lot of birdies needed to win, it’s tough not to look Wolff’s way. He’s 11th on Tour in birdie average and first in scoring average.
Will Zalatoris (+5000)
This will be the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year’s first start of 2022. The ball-striking machine should work his way around the three tracks with ease, but it’ll all come down to the flat stick. Can he put the yips away and make some putts?
Seamus Power (+3000)
The Irishman is coming off two solid weeks in Hawaii, T-15 and T-3, and is off to a fantastic start to the new season. In eight starts, Power has six finishes of T-21 or better (that includes five top 15s).
Tony Finau (+2000)
The big man likes himself some desert golf. Finished solo fourth last season and tied for 14th in 2020. In Maui he played decently, eventually tying for 19th.
Si-Woo Kim (+5000)
Tough not to put the defending champion on the list. Kim is coming off two mediocre performances on the islands, but if he’s able to get the putting going, watch out for the South Korean.
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