This year’s The American Express will take place Thursday, January 18 through Sunday, January 21 in La Quinta, California. This event will be played across a three-course rotation at PGA West between the Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course, and La Quinta Country Club. Jon Rahm picked up his second win at this event – the previous one coming in 2018 – last year, but will not return to defend his title, as he has since left the PGA TOUR for LIV. Below we will provide a betting guide for the 2024 contest, which will include The American Express odds as soon as they are posted by top sportsbooks.
THE AMERICAN EXPRESS ODDS
The American Express odds have been posted by top sportsbooks. Scottie Scheffler (+550) opened as the betting favorite.
The field for the 2024 The American Express will be officially announced on Friday, January 12. Until then, here are the odds for John Haslbauer’s projected favorites a month out from the event.
- Scottie Scheffler +500
- Patrick Cantlay +800
- Xander Schauffele +1000
- Tony Finau +1600
- Justin Thomas +1800
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PGA WEST COURSE SPECS
- Yards: 7,140 (SC), 7,060 (LQCC), 7,181 (NTC)
- Par (All): 72 (4x 3s / 10x 4s / 4x 5s)
- Greens (All): Dormant Bermuda (with Bent and Poa overseed)
- Architect: Pete Dye (SC), Jack Nicklaus (NTC), Lawrence Hughes (LQCC)
- Historical Cut Line: -9 (54-hole cut)
- Comp Courses: TPC Summerlin, TPC Scottsdale, TPC Sawgrass, TPC River Highlands, Monterey Peninsula, CC of Jackson, Keene Trace GC, Summit Club
Introduction to pga west
PGA West, set in Coachella Valley, California, consists of three desert-style courses: Stadium Course, La Quinta CC, and Nicklaus Tournament Course.
The three-course rotation and pro-am set up at PGA West have lent to randomness on the leaderboard, with players playing each course in different conditions over three days before all concluding Sunday at the Stadium Course. La Quinta Country Club and Nicklaus Tournament Course feature two of the lowest scoring averages on TOUR each year, so this event has typically come down to a putting contest with little resistance from tee-to-green.
Traits and Notable Facts
Historical metrics at the Stadium Course only tell half the story for this event. But they are still a useful starting point to understand the conditions at hand. Over the last seven years, The Stadium Course has ranked amongst the easiest courses on TOUR in terms of SG: ARG and Missed Fairway Penalty.
With that said, the course bites back in terms of Bunker Difficulty (No. 1 or 2 on TOUR each of the last five years) and penalty strokes per round (top-3 each of the last two years). Although still a birdie-fest, a little course experience can go a long way here for players to understand the importance of avoiding greenside bunkers and lateral water hazards.
THE AMERICAN EXPRESS course trends and Betting history
In terms of Course History, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Adam Hadwin, Sungjae Im, and Cam Davis highlight the list of players who have repeatedly played well here, showing a strong correlation with other desert-style courses like TPC Summerlin and TPC Scottsdale.
Over the last 10 years, Jon Rahm is the only favorite at odds shorter that 30-1 to win The American Express – doing so twice. With longshots of 200-1 or longer winning in three of the last four years, this event has proven to be one of the most difficult on TOUR to predict, and a great opportunity to take a chance on a long list of longshots.
The below table tracks consensus pre-tournament outright odds for the last 11 winners of The American Express
| Year | Winner | Pre-Tournament Odds | Winning Score | Field Median Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jon Rahm | +650 | -27 | -17 |
| 2022 | Hudson Swafford | +20000 | -23 | -11 |
| 2021 | Si Woo Kim | +6600 | -23 | -10 |
| 2020 | Andrew Landry | +20000 | -26 | -14 |
| 2019 | Adam Long | +60000 | -26 | -14 |
| 2018 | Jon Rahm | +1000 | -22 | -12 |
| 2017 | Hudson Swafford | +6600 | -20 | -9 |
| 2016 | Jason Dufner | +4000 | -25 | -13 |
| 2015 | Bill Haas | +3000 | -22 | -14 |
| 2014 | Patrick Reed | +13500 | -28 | -15 |
| 2013 | Brian Gay | +8000 | -25 | -17 |
How to bet on The American Express
Sportsbooks will be posting odds for The 2024 American Express soon. While the field is still to be determined, we do know this year’s event will have a new winner as a result of Jon Rahm leaving for LIV. Rahm’s pre-tournament odds were in the +600 to +650 range – the shortest on the board. Expect the favorites to open with longer odds this time around.
Picking a straight-up winner is the most basic form of PGA betting as it’s similar to an NFL or MLB moneyline bet. However, the big difference is it involves picking one player out of more than 150 pros. Consider the course conditions and trends as well as how the golfers have played at PGA West. If you’re down to three or four players, one option is making separate to win The American Express bets. Sportsbooks typically offer top-5, top-10, and top-20 odds for PGA Tour events. Expect to see a player props menu as this year’s event draws closer.