The PGA Tour season moves on from Hawaii to California for the first event of the West Coast Swing, the American Express, which is staged across three venues in the La Quinta area.
Xander Schauffele topped the market when betting opened for the Amex on Monday but the world No. 2 withdrew from the event that night, joining the injured Scottie Scheffler on the sidelines after the Masters champion ruled himself out last week.
In their absence, Justin Thomas leads the market at the Amex, which features three courses in order to facilitate the pro-am portion of the event. The players rotate across the Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament courses at PGA West as well as La Quinta Country Club over the first three rounds before the final round at the Stadium Course on Sunday.
All three venues are short and offer easy birdies for the PGA Tour stars. An ultra-low winning total is always required, so those carrying a cold putter will likely find themselves left behind once the 54-hole cut is made.
- SAM BURNS TO WIN & EACH-WAY
- NICK DUNLAP TO WIN & EACH-WAY
- PATRICK FISHBURN TO WIN & EACH-WAY
Burns Could Set The Amex Standard
The best bet from the market principals could be Sam Burns, who has shown a liking for the American Express with five previous appearances resulting in form figures of 18-6-MC-11-6.
The Louisiana man has not won on the PGA Tour since March 2023 but that triumph - his fifth at the top level - came at Austin Country Club, a course designed by legendary architect Pete Dye, who also built the Stadium Course.
Burns is a top-class putter who finished 2024 with a run of solid results before making an encouraging return when eighth at the Sentry, recovering from a slow start to play the final 54 holes in 22 under par.
SAM BURNS TO WIN & EACH-WAY
Dunlap Poised For A Successful Defence
Nick Dunlap caused a huge shock when winning the 2024 American Express as an amateur at whopping 300-1 odds and he's considerably shorter in his bid to mount a successful title defence this week.
No more than a promising talent when he arrived in La Quinta 12 months ago, Dunlap has developed into a PGA Tour star, winning his second title at the Barracuda Championship in July and climbing into the world's top 40 in the autumn.
The 21-year-old is improving rapidly, he has already shown he has what it takes to win this, and he putted superbly when finishing 10th in the Sony Open in Hawaii last week.
NICK DUNLAP TO WIN & EACH-WAY
Fishburn Can Cash In On Fine Form
A first PGA Tour title looks well within the grasp of Patrick Fishburn, who has been knocking on the door for several months and could make his breakthrough in the Amex this week.
Fishburn finished third behind Dunlap at the Barracuda, then filled the same position in the Procore Championship, also in California, in September. He ended 2024 with eighth place in the RSM Classic and started the 2025 season with sixth place in the Sony Open a week ago.
The Utah man missed the cut on his Amex debut last year but he was ranked outside the top 250 at the time. He returns to the event as a member of the world's top 100.
PATRICK FISHBURN TO WIN & EACH-WAY
