After two unlikely winners in Hawaii, the PGA Tour heads back to the mainland to kick off the West Coast Swing at PGA West. The American Express field is a step up from last week and will take on a trio of courses — the Stadium and Nicklaus Course as well as La Quinta Country Club.
Defending champion Jon Rahm isn't in the field after his move to LIV but World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is, topping the live golf odds board at +600. We break down his chances, the field, and more in our full American Express betting preview below.
Also, be sure to check out our free golf picks and The American Express sleeper picks.
Best 2024 American Express picks
- Sungjae Im Top 20 (+115 at Bet99)
- Eric Cole over Tony Finau (-110 at Bet99)
Live odds to win the 2024 American Express
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The American Express picks and predictions
Sungjae Im Top 20 (+115)
I’d be remiss not to recommend Sungjae Im in some form after he kicked off the new season with a T5 at Kapalua.
That result came following a two-month hiatus, but he clearly didn’t have rust to knock off: he gained 3.48 shots on the greens, 3.16 on approach, and fired off a field-best 63 on Sunday.
Those are the traits that — in theory — make him such a great fit for the low-scoring Amex, and that’s exactly how it’s played out.
He has four Top-12 finishes and a T18 to his name in five career tries and also has the fourth-best scoring average among those in the field since 2018, per Justin Ray.
Pick: Sungjae Im Top 20 (+115 at Bet99)
Eric Cole over Tony Finau (-110)
Beyond winning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Eric Cole is rolling.
He racked up four Top 5s — including a T3-T2-T3 stretch — in five fall starts and returned for the Hawaii Swing where he went T14 at Kapalua and T13 at Waialai.
That form has him moving up the odds board and as such, places him in more competitive 72-hole matchups, but while Tony Finau is the household name of the two, Cole should be the favorite.
It’s been feast or famine for Finau during a six-month stretch that includes much more bad than good. He finished just 64th, T37, and 20th out of 30 guys at East Lake during the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He did log a Top 5 at the Hero World Challenge but finished just 38th out of 59 at Kapalua last time out.
He’s got some good Amex finishes to his name but finished T40 in 2022 when he was in eerily similar form. Cole finished T36 in his Amex debut a season ago but has room to grow in his second attempt.
Pick: Eric Cole over Tony Finau (-110 at Bet99)
The American Express field and favorites
It's never a shock to see World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler atop any given odds board — and he's clearing this week's field with opening 6/1 odds.
After winning the Hero World Challenge to close out a strong 2023, the 2022 Masters champ kicked off a new campaign with a T5 finish at Kapalua before taking last week off. He's finished third, T11, and T25 in three of his four career tries and is the rightful favorite considering last year's form has yet to waver.
Beyond Scheffler is Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, both available at 10/1 or better. It's been more than a year since these guys last won but both looked strong during the FedEx Cup Playoffs and are coming off T12 and T10 finishes, respectively, at Kapalua.
Sungjae Im sits fourth on the board in the 18/1 range after a T5 at The Sentry, while Justin Thomas rounds out the Top 5 at 22/1. It was a rough 2023 campaign for JT but he appears to be rounding back into form, with Top-5 finishes in each of his last three worldwide starts.
Tom Kim (+2,500) and Sam Burns (+3,300) highlight the next tier with other notables including Tony Finau (35/1), Rickie Fowler (40/1), and Shane Lowry (50/1).
Covers golf betting tools
The American Express recent winners and odds history
Let's take a look at some recent American Express winners and their closing odds to win:
| Year | Winner | Closing Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jon Rahm (2) | +750 |
| 2022 | Hudson Swafford (2) | +15,000 |
| 2021 | Si Woo Kim | +6,000 |
| 2020 | Andrew Landry | +20,000 |
| 2019 | Adam Long | OTB |
| 2018 | Jon Rahm | +800 |
| 2017 | Hudson Swafford | +5,000 |
| 2016 | Jason Dufner | +4,000 |
| 2015 | Bill Haas | +2,500 |
Odds courtesy of GolfOdds.
The American Express Odds FAQs
Scottie Scheffler (+600) is the pre-tournament betting favorite to win the 2024 American Express.
The American Express is returning to three courses in 2024: The Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament Courses at PGA West as well as La Quinta Country Club. The Stadium Course plays 7,113 yards, the Nicklaus Course runs 7,159, while La Quinta Country Club is 7,060. All three courses play as Par 72s.
Jon Rahn won this event for the second time in 2023 but isn't in the field this week after making the move to LIV Golf.
The American Express purse for 2024 is $8.4 million, with $1.512 million going to the winner.
