The PGA Tour leaves Hawaii after two events and moves on to California for the American Express.
The first event in the “West Coast Swing” the American Express (the Amex) is the first of five events to be played in western states.
Four of the five West Coast Swing events are in California, with the only exception being a quick stop in Arizona for the WM Phoenix Open.
This will be the 64th edition of The Amex, however it’s also known as the “Desert Classic” as it was named prior to sponsorship rights naming going back to its origin in 1960.
The Desert Classic was popularized by Bob Hope as the Pro-Am portion of the event featured some of the largest names of the era playing in the event.
Bing Crosby, Kirk Douglas, Desi Arnaz, and President Dwight Eisenhower were among the celebrities to have competed in the Pro-Am portion of the event.
The American Express is one of the more unique stops on the PGA Tour each year due to it’s unique format.
In addition to the Pro-Am portion, The Amex is contested over three courses instead of one which is normal for most PGA Tour events.
With three courses in rotation the cut is made after each player has the chance to play each of the courses.
| Courses for the American Express |
| PGA West (Stadium Course) |
| La Quinta Country Club |
| PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament Course) |
The Amex cut will therefore be made after 54 holes instead of 36 in a regular PGA Tour event.
Four previous winners of this event have left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.
Hudson Swafford, Phil Mickleson, Patrick Reed, and Pat Perez are among the defectees to LIV Golf that were suspended by the PGPA Tour and are subsequently ineligible for this event.
Swafford and Mickleson have each won the American Express twice.
Despite not being one of the elevated events that the PGA Tour designated as a counter to LIV Golf, the purse did receive a slight bump.
This year’s prize fund will receive a $400k bump over previous years.
The field will compete for a total purse of $8 million, with $1.44 million going to the eventual champion.
The winner’s share (18% of purse total) is up from the $1,368,000 that went to Hudson Swafford from the $7.6 million purse in 2022.
Notables in the Field
| Jon Rahm | Xander Schauffele | Scottie Scheffler |
| Tony Finau | Will Zalatoris | Sam Burns |
| Sahith Theegala | Cam Young | Patrick Cantlay |
| Tom Kim | Rickie Fowler | Justin Rose |
| Garrick Higgo | Jason Day | Sebastian Munoz |
| J.T. Poston | Zach Johnson | Jhonathan Vegas |
Players to Watch
Tony Finau
This will be Tony’s 4th trip to La Quinta, California for the American Express. His best finish in the event was 4th place in 2021.
In four events so far in the 2022-2023 PGA Tour wrap around season, Tony has one missed cut and three top-ten finishes.
The top-tens included a win at the Cadence Bank Houston Open back in November.
Tony is currently ranked 9th in the FedEx Cup Rankings, and 12th in the Official Golf World Rankings
Sahith Theegala
This will be Sahith’s 2nd time entering the American Express. In his first appearance in 2022 he finished in in a tie for 33rd place.
So far this season in 7 events Sahith has 3 top-10 finishes.
Despite an unofficial event, Sahith won the QBE Shootout back in December partnered with Tom Hoge.
Joseph Bramlett
This will be Joseph’s 4th time entering the field for the American Express.
In three previous entries his best finish was a tie for 33rd place in 2022, which was also his only made cut.
In seven events so far this season Joseph has one top-10 finish which was a tie for ninth place at the Cadence Bank Houston Open back in November.
Tee Times
Finau
Thursday – 11:41 AM EST (La Quinta)
Friday – 1:31 PM EST (Nicklaus Tournament)
Saturday – 12:58 PM EST (Dye Stadium)
Theegala
Thursday – 12:47 PM EST (La Quinta)
Friday – 12:14 PM EST (Nicklaus Tournament)
Saturday – 11:41 AM EST (Dye Stadium)
Bramlett
Thursday – 11:52 AM EST (Nicklaus Tournament)
Friday – 1:42 PM EST (Dye Stadium)
Saturday – 1:09 PM EST (La Quinta)