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2026 The American Express Betting Preview

Golf Previews

21 January 2026 By Dunkel Index

The PGA Tour heads to La Quinta, CA, this week for The American Express at La Quinta Country Club. Last year's champion Sepp Straka returns to defend his title at the trio of La Quinta courses that begins the Tour's West Coast Swing after opening up last week in Hawaii.

THE AMERICAN EXPRESS ODDS, TIME

Day: January 22-25, 2026
Location: La Quinta, CA
Golf Course: La Quinta Country Club
Distance: Par 72 / Yards 7210 (Pete Dye Stadium Course)
Purse: $9,200,000
Defending Champion: Sepp Straka
Moneyline Favorite: Scottie Scheffler

HOW TO WATCH THE AMERICAN EXPRESS

TV: Golf Channel
Streaming: ESPN+

DUNKEL INDEX TOP 30

Here are the Top 30 golfers for this event, according to the Dunkel Index:

S. Scheffler	-9.140
B. Griffin	-12.388
P. Cantlay	-22.380
S. Burns	-22.593
R. Henley	-22.759
A. Bhatia	-24.533
L. Aberg	-25.597
J. Rose	-26.111
R. Fowler	-26.402
M. Thorbjornsen	-26.419
H. English	-26.470
H. Hall	-26.840
A. Noren	-27.764
M. Fitzpatrick	-27.995
R. MacIntyre	-28.288
D. Thompson	-29.111
R. Hoey	-29.603
S. Straka	-30.165
JT Poston	-30.171
SW Kim	-30.178
R. Hojgaard	-30.470
K. Mitchell	-30.910
T. Pendrith	-31.285
N. Taylor	-31.451
Pierceson Coody	-32.091
W. Clark	-32.773
D. Berger	-34.165
R. Gerard	-35.225
K. Kitayama	-35.644
J. Day	-35.765

WINNER: SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (+290)

The World No. 1 makes his debut at La Quinta after missing this tournament last year. Scheffler has not had much success here, recording only one top-10 finish in five appearances. But coming off a season as PGA Tour Player of the Year for the fourth straight time makes him the prohibitive betting favorite. Rated No. 1 in this week's Dunkel Index, we'll take Scheffler (+290) to start off his season with a victory at La Quinta.