After two tournaments in Hawaii, the PGA Tour returns to the mainland with The American Express taking place at Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. in the Coachella Valley.
Last week, Si Woo Kim, who made a clutch chip-in for birdie on the par-3 17th hole, went 64-64 over the weekend to win the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
This week, some of the game’s best players are on hand in the desert for The American Express to kick off the west coast swing.
For the first three rounds on Thursday, Friday and Saturday all 156 players in the field this week will play the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course, PGA West Stadium Course and the La Quinta Country Club.
Unlike a regular PGA Tour event where the cut is set after 36 holes, or two rounds, the cut will be in affect after the third round. Those who make the cut will compete in the PGA West Stadium Course on Sunday.
All three courses will challenge golfers to hit fairways and greens, especially on the par-5 16th hole of the Stadium Course, which has increased its distance by 40 yards to a total of 600 yards. In addition to the increased yardage on the 16th hole, the left greenside bunker is one of the deepest bunkers on the PGA Tour as players who encounter this situation have to hit the ball 18 feet up in the air and control the spin to avoid bogeys and double bogeys.
Television schedule for The American Express
| Round | Date | Time (PT) | TV |
| 1 | Thursday Jan. 19 | 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 2 | Friday Jan. 20 | 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 3 | Saturday Jan. 21 | 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 4 | Sunday Jan. 22 | 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
Other TV coverage for The American Express
In addition to the Golf Channel, The American Express will also be broadcasted on ESPN+ and Peacock. PGA Tour Live can be exclusively found on ESPN+. In addition, the tournament will also be on the airwaves of Sirius XM.
Saturday, Jan. 21 (Round 3)
ESPN+: 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. PT
Peacock: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. PT
Sirius XM – 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. PT
Sunday, Jan. 22 (Round 4)
ESPN+: 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. PT
Peacock: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. PT
Sirius XM – 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. PT
How much are tickets for The American Express?
Tickets to walk on the grounds for The American Express start at $50. Premium passes start at $125 and Champions Club tickets start at $250.
Both the grounds ticket and the premium pass include tournament access for all four days and the general admission section for the concerts on the 20th and 21st. The premium pass gives access to the open-air venue – Club 18 – that provides a complimentary lunch.
The Champions Club includes admission to the 18th Green private in addition to a hosted breakfast, lunch, snacks and an all-day bar. Parking is also included with the club ticket. A champions club ticket on Friday and Saturday includes access to an upgraded viewing area with complimentary drinks at the concerts on both days.
Payout for the Sony Open 2023
The total purse for the event is set for $8 million and the winner will receive $1.4 million.
Who are some of the top golfers in The American Express?
Although The American Express is not one of the PGA Tour’s designated events, five of the top seven and 10 of the top 20 players in the Official World Golf Ranking are in the field this week, led by the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year, Scottie Scheffler, who ranks No. 2 in the OWGR.
Xander Schauffele, who is ranked No. 6 in the world, is coming off of his first career PGA Tour withdrawal from the Sentry Tournament of Champions a couple of weeks ago, due to a back injury. Schauffele got an MRI and received the treatment he needed to commit this week.
In addition, from the FedEx Cup Standings, 10 of the top 20 players are in the field led by Tom Kim, who ranks No. 3.
| World Ranking | FedEx Cup Standings |
| 2. Scottie Scheffler | 3. Tom Kim |
| 4. Jon Rahm | 4. Jon Rahm |
| 5. Patrick Cantlay | 5. Brian Harman |
| 6. Xander Schauffele | 8. Si Woo Kim |
| 7. Will Zalatoris | 10. Tony Finau |
| 12. Tony Finau | 12. Andrew Putnam |
| 13. Sam Burns | 13. Taylor Montgomery |
| 14. Tom Kim | 16. Tom Hoge |
| 17. Cameron Young | 17. Thomas Detry |
| 19. Sungjae Im | 18. Sahith Theegala |
5 players who can hoist The American Express trophy on Sunday
Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler, who is three months away from marking one year since last year’s win at the Masters, comes to the Coachella Valley looking to get into a rhythm before his first career PGA Tour victory in a few weeks at TPC Scottsdale for the WM Phoenix Open.
So far this season, Scheffler has played four events and has made the cut in each one. However, for the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year, that is not enough. He has finished inside the top 10 in his last three official starts. Scheffler finished T9 at the unofficial Hero World Challenge in December.
The 26-year-old is ninth on the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained off the green and 10th in greens in regulation percentage.
Taylor Montgomery
Taylor Montgomery, who has become the early favorite for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, has played eight events and made the cut in every tournament.
These three courses are going to benefit the success of the putter this week as Montgomery is eighth on the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained putting.
Si Woo Kim
The reigning winner on the PGA Tour comes to the mainland looking to retain the victory title. Kim won this event two years ago with a final round, 8-under 64. During his title run two years ago, Kim led the field in greens in regulation.
Patrick Cantlay
Last season, Patrick Cantlay led the PGA Tour with a dozen top-10 finishes and only won twice with two losses in playoffs. And he already has a second place finish this year.
In his last three appearances in the Coachella Valley, Cantlay has three top-10s, highlighted by another second-place finish to Kim in 2021.
The consistency and luck could turn around for the Southern California native and UCLA alum this weekend.
Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm continues to be on a ridiculous stretch when he enters a tournament. Rahm has won 60%, or three of his last five official starts worldwide. The two non-victories came in a runner-up fashion and a fourth-place finish.
In addition, Rahm won at PGA West five years ago and has the momentum coming off of his win at the Sentry Tournament of Champions two weeks ago.
The American Express pairings
Round 3 tee times (Saturday)
La Quinta Country Club
8:30 a.m.
Tee #1: Aaron Rai, Satoshi Kodaira | Tee #10: Brian Stuard, John Huh
8:41 a.m.
Tee #1: Ryan Brehm, Jonathan Byrd | Tee #10: Kevin Chappell, Byeong Hun An
8:52 a.m.
Tee #1: Brice Garnett, James Hahn | Tee #10: J.T. Poston, Brian Harman
9:03 a.m.
Tee #1: Michael Block, Trevor Werbylo | Tee #10: Carson Young, Caleb Surratt
9:14 a.m.
Tee #1: Nate Lashley, Martin Trainer | Tee #10: Greyson Sigg, Danny Willett
9:25 a.m.
Tee #1: Jimmy Walker, Jhonattan Vegas | Tee #10: Sungjae Im, Jason Day
9:36 a.m.
Tee #1: Kevin Roy, Gunner Wiebe | Tee #10: Ben Griffin, Tyson Alexander
9:47 a.m.
Tee #1: Austin Cook, Jason Dufner | Tee #10: Emilian Grillo, Nick Watney
9:58 a.m.
Tee #1: Tyler Duncan, Richy Werenski | Tee #10: Cameron Young, Will Zalatoris
10:09 a.m.
Tee #1: Paul Haley II, Kevin Yu | Tee #10: Joseph Bramlett, Dean Burmester
10:20 a.m.
Tee #1: Mark Hubbard, Zac Blair | Tee #10: Peter Malnati, Ben Martin
10:31 a.m.
Tee #1: Brendon Todd, Michael Thompson | Tee #10: Wesley Bryan, Kevin Tway
10:42 a.m.
Tee #1: S.H. Kim, Eric Cole | Tee #10: Carl Yuan, Taiga Semikawa
Nicklaus Tournament Course
8:30 a.m.
Tee #1: Michael Kim, Andrew Putnam | Tee #10: Danny Lee, David Lingmerth
8:41 a.m.
Tee #1: Callum Tarren, Alex Smalley | Tee #10: Rory Sabbatini, Ryan Moore
8:52 a.m.
Tee #1: Tom Hoge, Luke List | Tee #10: K.H. Lee, Erik van Rooyen
9:03 a.m.
Tee #1: Matti Schmid, Vincent Norrman | Tee #10: Harry Hall, Dylan Wu
9:14 a.m.
Tee #1: Wyndham Clark, Harry Higgs | Tee #10: Stephan Jaeger, David Lipsky
9:25 a.m.
Tee #1: Sam Burns, Harris English | Tee #10: Robert Streb, Garrick Higgo
9:36 a.m.
Tee #1: Ben Taylor, Robby Shelton | Tee #10: Michael Gligic, Erik Barnes
9:47 a.m.
Tee #1: Troy Merritt, Chesson Hadley | Tee #10: Kramer Hickok, Aaron Baddeley
9:58 a.m.
Tee #1: Zach Johnson, Russell Knox | Tee #10: Lucas Glover, Keith Mitchell
10:09 a.m.
Tee #1: Harrison Endycott, John Pak | Tee #10: Nico Echavarria, Zechang Dou
10:20 a.m.
Tee #1: Lee Hodges, Brandon Wu | Tee #10: Sam Ryder, Matthias Schwab
10:31 a.m.
Tee #1: Aaron Wise, Sebastian Munoz | Tee #10: Cam Davis Christiaan Bezuidenhout
10:42 a.m.
Tee #1: Andres Albertson, Philip Knowles | Tee #10: Tano Goya, Augusto Nunez
Pete Dye Stadium Course
8:30 a.m.
Tee #1: Davis Riley, Beau Hossler | Tee #10: Ryan Armour, Justin Lower
8:41 am.
Tee #1: Tom Kim, Sahith Theegala | Tee #10: Scott Piercy, Taylor Moore
8:52 a.m.
Tee #1: Matthew NeSmith, Patrick Rodgers | Tee #10: Justin Rose, Si Woo Kim
9:03 a.m.
Tee #1: Charley Hoffman, Denny McCarthy | Tee #10: Brandon Matthews, Brent Grant
9:14 a.m.
Tee #1: Chris Kirk, Patton Kizzire | Tee #10: Doug Ghim, Max McGreevy
9:25 a.m.
Tee #1: Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler | Tee #10: Nick Taylor, Martin Laird
9:36 a.m.
Tee #1: Thomas Detry, Austin Eckroat | Tee #10: Scott Harrington, Sam Stevens
9:47 a.m.
Tee #1: Adam Long, Chez Reavie | Tee #10: Adam Schenk, Bill Haas
9:58 a.m.
Tee #1: Tony Finau, Scottie Scheffler | Tee #10: Adam Hadwin, Taylor Pendrith
10:09 a.m.
Tee #1: Taylor Montgomery, Justin Suh | Tee #10: MJ Daffue, Andrew Novak
10:20 a.m.
Tee #1: Stewart Cink, Brendon Steele | Tee #10: Dylan Fritelli, Sung Kang
10:31 a.m.
Tee #1: Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele | Tee #10: Hank Lebioda, Andrew Landry
10:42 a.m.
Tee #1: Davis Thompson, Will Gordon | Tee #10: Kyle Westmoreland, Trevor Cone