Subsequent to a brief interlude in Hawaii, the 2026 PGA Tour calendar commences its West Coast Swing, initiating with The American Express 2026 on Thursday at the Pete Dye Stadium Course in La Quinta, California. Having bypassed the week-long Hawaii portion, the world’s top-ranked player, Scottie Scheffler, is scheduled to participate in The American Express 2026 competition for the first time this season. Despite his status as a four-time major champion, his performance in this particular event has been unremarkable, yielding only a single top-10 placement across five previous attempts.
Nonetheless, wagering lines for the 2026 American Express position Scheffler as the undisputed +300 frontrunner (indicating a $300 return on a $100 wager). Ben Griffin, holding the eighth global ranking, follows on the PGA betting list at +2000, while Robert MacIntyre and Russell Henley stand at +2200, and Ludvig Aberg is set at +2500. Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns each carry odds of +2700. Prior to finalizing any selections for the 2026 American Express, or contemplating daily fantasy golf choices on platforms such as FanDuel or DraftKings, reviewing the golf forecasts and anticipated standings from SportsLine’s established computational framework is recommended.
The exclusive algorithmic system developed by SportsLine, crafted by daily fantasy sports expert Mike McClure, has demonstrated remarkable accuracy since the PGA Tour recommenced operations in June 2020. Indeed, the model has generated profits exceeding $8,000 on its prime wagers following the resumption, consistently identifying winners across numerous tournaments.
Furthermore, this identical model has accurately predicted a significant 16 major championships leading up to this weekend, encompassing the 2025 Masters—its fourth consecutive Masters success—alongside the current year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship. Individuals who have observed its athletic wagering recommendations could have realized substantial gains via betting sites.
With the participant list for the 2026 American Express now finalized, SportsLine conducted 10,000 simulations of the event, revealing unexpected outcomes. The predicted leaderboard information is available for viewing at SportsLine.
Forecasts for the 2026 American Express
A significant unexpected outcome predicted by the model for The American Express 2026 involves Sam Burns, who is among the favored competitors, struggling and scarcely entering the top 10. He is considered a player to bypass at La Quinta during this week’s competition. Burns experienced notable performances in 2025, such as securing a T7 placement at the Tour Championship following a strong playoff showing. Conversely, he also encountered periods of decline, including a nine-tournament streak without achieving a top-20 finish, which incorporated three consecutive missed cuts. While he has achieved two top-10 finishes at The American Express, he lacks any top-5 positions, and his performance last year resulted in a T29 finish, leading the model to not favor him as a leading contender this week. Insights on additional players to disregard are provided through this source.
Further unexpected intelligence: The model identifies Matt Fitzpatrick as a top-four contender for this week, even though he is classified as a +3500 outsider. He represents an athlete worth considering for those seeking substantial profits. This event marks his inaugural appearance at The American Express, yet he concluded 2025 impressively with four top-10 finishes in his final six tournaments. He wrapped up the season positioned 34th in Strokes Gained: Total and 30th in Strokes Gained: Putting, thereby making him a golfer to focus on given his somewhat elevated odds this week. Details on further selections are accessible via this resource.
Guidance for making 2026 American Express selections
Furthermore, the model identifies three additional golfers, each with odds of +2700 or greater, as potential top-10 finishers. The specific selections from the model are exclusively revealed through this platform.
Who is poised to triumph at the 2026 American Express, and which less-favored players are expected to astonish the golfing community? The 2026 American Express betting lines are presented below, and further insights into the projected leaderboard, derived from the model that has accurately predicted 16 golf majors, including three in 2025, are available at SportsLine.
2026 American Express Betting Lines and Top Contenders
Comprehensive selections, optimal wagers, and forecasts for the 2026 American Express are detailed within this content.
(odds provided by FanDuel and are subject to alteration)
Scottie Scheffler +300
Ben Griffin +2000
Robert MacIntyre +2200
Russell Henley +2200
Ludvig Åberg +2500
Sam Burns +2700
Patrick Cantlay +2700
Si Woo Kim +2700
Matt Fitzpatrick +3500
Taylor Pendrith +4000
Michael Thorbjornsen +4000
Sepp Straka +4000
Harry Hall +4000
Alex Noren +4500
Kurt Kitayama +4500
Daniel Berger +4500
Harris English +5000
Davis Thompson +5500
J.T. Poston +5500
Ryan Gerard +5500
Rickie Fowler +5500
Richard Hoey +5500
Rasmus Højgaard +6000
Pierceson Coody +6000
Nick Taylor +6000
Justin Rose +6000
Min Woo Lee +6000
Adam Scott +6000
Kevin Yu +7500
Jason Day +7500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +7500
Patrick Rodgers +7500
Akshay Bhatia +7500
Max Greyserman +7500
Wyndham Clark +8000
Alex Smalley +8000
Denny McCarthy +8000
Matt McCarty +8000
Michael Kim +8000
Will Zalatoris +8000
Brian Harman +10000
Matt Wallace +10000
Bud Cauley +10000
Andrew Novak +10000
Sahith Theegala +10000
Samuel Stevens +10000
Michael Brennan +10000
Keith Mitchell +10000
Lee Hodges +10000
Jacob Bridgeman +10000
Mac Meissner +10000
Chris Kirk +10000
Nick Dunlap +10000
Max McGreevy +10000
Max Homa +10000
Sami Valimaki +10000
Vince Whaley +10000
