LA QUINTA, Calif. – Defending champion Jon Rahm is not in the field this week at the 2024 American Express, and a few other familiar names from the tournament’s past might not be playing PGA West either.
But the field of 156 – the biggest so far on the PGA Tour in 2024 – for the 65th annual PGA Tour event in the Coachella Valley is still packed with some of the best golfers in the world. They are joined by golfers with strong resumes who might not be top-10 players at the moment, but certainly have the pedigree to win in the desert or anywhere else.
The tournament is contested on three courses: Pete Dye Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course and La Quinta Country Club.
The total purse is up from $8 million to $8.4 million with first-place bumping from $1.444 million to $1.512 million.
Here’s a look at some of the top players to watch when play begins Thursday:
Scottie Scheffler plays his shot from the third tee during the third round of the 2023 American Express at Pete Dye Stadium Course in La Quinta, California. (Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
Official World Golf Ranking: 1 | Golfweek/Sagarin ranking: 1
Scheffler comes to the desert as the No. 1 player in the world and off a two-win season that saw him challenge in many more events. He was last season’s PGA Tour Player of the Year. Scheffler was third in the American Express in 2020 and 11th in 2023. His strong iron play makes him a threat anywhere.
Patrick Cantlay tees off on the first hole at on the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West during the 2023 American Express in La Quinta, California. (Photo: Jay Calderon/Desert Sun)
OWGR: 5 | Golfweek/Sagarin: 6
One of the top players in the game the last few years, Cantlay will be hungry for a win after a winless 2022-23 season. The American Express might be a great place for that win, since Cantlay finished second in the event in 2021 behind winner Si Woo Kim, an effort that included a course-record 61 on the final day at the Stadium Course at PGA West. Cantlay was also ninth in the event in 2022.
Xander Schauffele hits his tee shot on the third hole during the final round of the 2024 Sentry at Kapalua Plantation Course in Maui, Hawaii. (Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
OWGR: 6 | Golfweek/Sagarin: 2
Schauffele, a San Diego junior golfer and collegiate player, returned to the American Express last year after missing a handful of years in a row. Not only did he praise American Express and the tournament, he played brilliantly, tying for third at 25-under, two back of winner Jon Rahm. He’s a threat every week, and another top-five seems logical.
Rickie Fowler walks the fifth fairway during the third round of the 2023 American Express at Pete Dye Stadium Course in La Quinta, California. (Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
OWGR: 25 | Golfweek/Sagarin: 10
Another Southern California product, Fowler is playing in The American Express for the fifth consecutive year. He’s had mixed results, nearly winning in 2020 but missing the cut in 2022. His struggles for a few years seem behind him with a victory last year, and he’ll look for an early win in 2024.
Jason Day putts on the 15th green during round three of the 2023 American Express at La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, California. (Photo: Andy Abeyta/Desert Sun)
OWGR: 18 | Golfweek/Sagarin: 25
Day is another player who has come to the American Express field only recently, playing the last two years and finishing as high as 18th in 2023. Last season saw plenty of golfers break long winless streaks, and that was true of Day, who had been winless for five years before taking the AT&T Byron Nelson in May 2023. He likes the desert and could play well here.
Tony Finau at the 2023 American Express at PGA West in La Quinta, California. (Photo: Taya Gray/Desert Sun)
OWGR: 22 | Golfweek/Sagarin: 16
When the field of the American Express started turning around under the new title sponsor, Finau, an American Express Ambassador, was one of the big names that turned the tide. A two-time winner in 2022-23, Finau has played the last four American Express events, finishing as high as fourth in 2021. His game seems well suited for desert courses that require plenty of birdies.
Team Europe golfer Shane Lowry celebrates with fans after winning the 44th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome, Italy. (Photo: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports)
OWGR: 42 | Golfweek/Sagarin: 37
A top player making his debut in the American Express, Lowry has both a major championship and Ryder Cup experience. He won the raucous 2019 British Open championship, an Irishman winning the title in Northern Ireland. He has also been a member of the European Ryder Cup in 2021 and 2023. He’s a name to watch in his first desert event.
Justin Thomas on the 14th green during the first round of the 2023 PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando. (Photo: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
OWGR: 29 | Golfweek/Sagarin: 39
Another top player making his return to the desert is Thomas, a two-time PGA Championship winner and fixture on U.S. Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams. Certainly, Thomas has stumbled on the course in the last few years, but showed signs of turning his game around late in the 2022-23 season. With no spot for him in The Sentry and with him not playing in the Sony Open in Hawaii, this is a good place for Thomas to start his year.
JT last played in the desert in 2015 when he tied for seventh when the tournament was called the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. He also played it in 2014 but missed the cut.
Tom Kim lines up a putt on the third green during the first round of the 2023 American Express at La Quinta Country Club in a Quinta, California. (Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
OWGR: 12 | Golfweek/Sagarin: 21
Kim has shown a fondness for the desert, winning the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas each of the last two years. A rising star on the PGA Tour, the Korean also has international experience in the President Cup. A tie for sixth in La Quinta last year shows he’s a threat this week.
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