Following a brief period in Hawaii, the 2026 PGA Tour season initiates its West Coast segment with The American Express 2026, commencing on Thursday at the Pete Dye Stadium Course located in La Quinta, California. Having bypassed the single-week Hawaii tournaments, the top-ranked golfer globally, Scottie Scheffler, is scheduled to participate for the first time in 2026 within The American Express lineup. Despite his stature as a four-time major champion, his performance in this competition has been notably underwhelming, securing only one finish within the top ten across five previous attempts.
Nonetheless, the betting probabilities for the 2026 American Express designate Scheffler as the undisputed frontrunner with odds of +300 (implying a $300 return on a $100 wager). Ben Griffin, holding the eighth position globally, follows on the PGA wagering roster at +1900, while Robert MacIntyre stands at +2000 and Ludvig Aberg at +2200. Prior to finalizing any selections for the 2026 American Express, or making daily fantasy golf selections on platforms such as FanDuel or DraftKings, it is recommended to consult the golf forecasts and anticipated standings provided by SportsLine’s established computational system.
The exclusive analytical framework utilized by SportsLine, developed by daily fantasy sports specialist Mike McClure, has demonstrated remarkable success since the PGA Tour recommenced operations in June 2020. Indeed, this model has generated profits exceeding $8,000 from its top predictions following the resumption, accurately forecasting outcomes in numerous consecutive tournaments.
Furthermore, this identical algorithm has accurately predicted an impressive total of 16 major championships leading up to the current weekend, encompassing the 2025 Masters — marking its fourth consecutive Masters prediction — alongside both the PGA Championship and the Open Championship for the current year. Individuals who have adopted its recommendations for sports wagering could have realized substantial profits on gambling platforms.
With the participants for the 2026 American Express now confirmed, SportsLine conducted a simulation of the event ten thousand times, revealing unexpected outcomes. Visit SportsLine immediately to view the anticipated rankings.
2026 American Express predictions
A significant unexpected forecast from the model for The American Express 2026 is that Sam Burns, considered a strong contender with odds of +2500, will struggle and barely manage to enter the top 10. He is identified as a player to bypass in La Quinta this week. Burns experienced notable moments in 2025, such as securing a T7 placement at the Tour Championship following an impressive playoff series. However, there were also periods of poor performance, including a streak of nine consecutive tournaments without a top-20 result, which featured three consecutive missed cuts during that stretch. He possesses two prior top-10 placements at The American Express but has not achieved a top-5 finish, and his performance last year saw him finish T29, leading the model to disfavor him as a leading candidate this week. Discover other players to disregard here.
In another surprising revelation, the analytical system identifies Matt Fitzpatrick as a prospective top-four participant this week, despite his current odds of +3000 placing him among those tied for the eighth-lowest. He is recommended as a player to consider if seeking a considerable payout. This event will mark his initial appearance at The American Express, yet he concluded 2025 robustly, achieving four top-10 finishes across his final six competitions. His season concluded with a 34th ranking in Strokes Gained: Total and 30th in Strokes Gained: Putting, positioning him as an attractive selection with somewhat extended odds for this week’s play. Find additional player recommendations here.
How to make 2026 American Express picks
Moreover, the system is identifying three additional players, each having odds of +2700 or greater, as potential candidates for a top-10 finish. Access the model’s specific selections solely through this link.
Which competitor will claim victory at the 2026 American Express, and which unexpected participants are poised to astound the global golf community? Review the 2026 American Express betting lines provided underneath, then proceed to SportsLine to view the anticipated final standings, all derived from the analytical framework that has accurately predicted 16 major golf tournaments, with three successes in 2025 alone.
2026 American Express odds, favorites
Obtain comprehensive selections, optimal wagers, and forecasts for the 2026 American Express via this link.
(probabilities are subject to modification)
Scottie Scheffler +300
Ben Griffin +1900
Robert MacIntyre +2000
Ludvig Åberg +2200
Sam Burns +2500
Patrick Cantlay +2500
Russell Henley +2500
Harry Hall +2700
Matt Fitzpatrick +2700
Sepp Straka +3300
Harris English +4000
Taylor Pendrith +4000
Alex Noren +4000
Kurt Kitayama +4000
Rasmus Højgaard +4500
Michael Thorbjornsen +4500
Si Woo Kim +4500
Rickie Fowler +5000
Davis Thompson +5500
Jason Day +5500
Min Woo Lee +5500
Adam Scott +6000
J.T. Poston +7000
Akshay Bhatia +7000
Justin Rose +7000
Richard Hoey +7000
Wyndham Clark +7500
Pierceson Coody +7500
Kevin Yu +7500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +7500
Nick Taylor +7500
Keith Mitchell +7500
Denny McCarthy +7500
Daniel Berger +7500
Max Greyserman +7500
Alex Smalley +8000
Will Zalatoris +8000
Brian Harman +10000
Matt Wallace +10000
Haotong Li +10000
Ryan Gerard +10000
Sahith Theegala +10000
Samuel Stevens +10000
Jacob Bridgeman +10000
Emiliano Grillo +10000
Michael Kim +10000
Max Homa +10000
Matti Schmid +10000
Johnny Keefer +10000
Andrew Novak +12500
Jesper Svensson +12500
John Parry +12500
William Mouw +12500
Patrick Rodgers+12500
Jhonattan Vegas +12500
Matt McCarty +12500
Sami Valimaki +12500
Vince Whaley +12500
Mackenzie Hughes +15000
Ricky Castillo +15000
Gary Woodland +15000
Billy Horschel +15000
Matt Kuchar +15000
Mac Meissner +15000
Steven Fisk +15000
Chris Kirk +15000
Austin Eckroat +15000
Jordan Smith +15000
Seamus Power +15000
Kevin Roy +15000
Nick Dunlap +15000
Neal Shipley +15000
Bud Cauley +20000
Takumi Kanaya +20000
Michael Brennan +20000
Lee Hodges +20000
Aldrich Potgieter +20000
Doug Ghim +20000
Patrick Fishburn +20000
Tony Finau +20000
Kris Ventura +20000
Stephan Jaeger +20000
Zecheng Dou +25000
Davis Riley +25000
Dan Brown +25000
Luke Clanton +25000
Eric Cole +30000
Sam Ryder +30000
Adrien Dumont de Chassart +30000
Taylor Moore +30000
Nico Echavarria +30000
S.H. Kim +30000
Tom Kim +30000
Max McGreevy +30000
Erik van Rooyen +30000
Alejandro Tosti +40000
Carson Young +40000
Jackson Suber +40000
Keita Nakajima +40000
Adam Schenk +40000
Beau Hossler +40000
David Ford +40000
Chandler Phillips +40000
Mark Hubbard +40000
Tom Hoge +60000
John VanDerLaan +60000
Blades Brown +60000
Cam Davis +60000
Christo Lamprecht +60000
Chan Kim +60000
Seungtaek Lee +60000
Brice Garnett +60000
Chad Ramey +60000
Sudarshan Yellamaraju +60000
Adam Svensson +60000
Ryo Hisatsune +60000
Lanto Griffin +60000
Matthieu Pavon +60000
Patton Kizzire +60000
Dylan Wu +60000
Justin Lower +60000
Chandler Blanchet +60000
Austin Smotherman +75000
David Lipsky +75000
Harry Higgs +75000
Joe Highsmith +75000
Karl Vilips +75000
Andrew Putnam +75000
Joel Dahmen +75000
Adrien Saddier +75000
Pontus Nyholm +75000
Isaiah Salinda +75000
Brandt Snedeker +75000
Gordon Sargent +100000
Frankie Capan III +100000
Zach Johnson +100000
Brian Campbell +100000
Kensei Hirata +100000
Kevin Streelman +100000
Andrew Landry +100000
Marcelo Rozo +100000
Rafael Campos +100000
Peter Malnati +100000
Adam Long +100000
Michael Block +100000
Jeffrey Kang +100000
Zach Bauchou +100000
Jason Dufner +100000
Charley Hoffman +100000
Jimmy Stanger +100000
Camilo Villegas +100000
Emilio Gonzalez +100000
Davis Chatfield +100000
Hank Lebioda +100000
Danny Walker +100000
A.J. Ewart +100000
