LA QUINTA (CNS) - Justin Thomas is the pre-tournament favorite in the
$8.8 million The American Express PGA tournament that begins today at three
courses in La Quinta following the injury-related withdrawals of Scottie
Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, the top two players on the Official World Golf
Ranking.
The 31-year-old Thomas is the 12-1 pre-tournament favorite as he seeks
his first PGA Tour win since the 2022 PGA Championship and 16th of his
career, according to BetMGM, an official betting operator of the PGA Tour.
South Korean Sungjae Im is the second choice at 14-1 and American Sam Burns the
third choice at 16-1.
One year after becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event
since Phil Mickelson at the 1991 Northern Telecom Open, Nick Dunlap will
attempt to become the first player to win The American Express in consecutive
years since Johnny Miller in 1976. He is the co-13th choice at 55-1.
Thomas played in the final group in the final round of last year's The
American Express and finished in a three-way tie for third, two strokes
behind Dunlap. It would be his best finish until tying for second in the Zozo
Championship in the 19th of his 20 starts of the year.
Thomas had six top 10 finishes in 2024, 10 top 25 finishes and made 16
cuts. He was 21st on the money-winning list with $5,223,561 and 41st in
scoring average, averaging 69.62 strokes per round.
``I had a lot of good last year and played solid golf, but it was a
season without any trophies, and I don't want to say not acceptable, but it's
not my favorite thing in the world, I'll just say that,'' Thomas said
Wednesday. ``I just got to keep plugging, keep working on what I'm working on,
but, the next step is definitely winning, winning and winning more.''
Thomas will be making his fourth start at The American Express. He
missed the cut in 2014 and tied for seventh in 2015.
Dunlap entered the tournament in 2024 through a sponsor's exemption as
a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Alabama with a goal of ``just
try to come here and learn'' after missing the cuts at his first three PGA Tour
starts.
Not only did he learn, he won, finishing one stroke ahead of South
African Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Dunlap turned professional four days later, then finished 80th in his
first tournament as a professional, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and missed
the cut in his second, The Genesis Invitational.
He missed the cuts at all three majors he played in -- the Masters
Tournament, PGA Championship and U.S. Open -- but had four top 25 finishes in
his first 16 starts as a professional, then won the Barracuda Championship, an
alternate event played the same week as the British Open, becoming the first
player to win as an amateur and professional in the same season.
``I knew it was going to be a learning curve,'' Dunlap said. ``I
wasn't expecting to come out and dominate early. You go from college golf to
playing against the best players in the world, that's a huge jump. It
definitely took a little while, but I think now I'm a lot more comfortable with
myself more than anything and my game will get better as I get older and learn
more out here.''
Dunlap was voted by his fellow players as the PGA Tour Rookie of the
Year. He tied for 10th in his latest event, the Sony Open in Hawaii, which
concluded Sunday.
Dunlap will begin the tournament at the La Quinta Country Club where
he shot a 12-under 60 last year, tying the PGA Tour record for the lowest round
by an amateur.
The highest ranked player in the field of 156 is 2023 U.S. Open
champion Wyndham Clark, who is ranked seventh.
The field also includes Rickie Fowler, a six-time winner on the PGA
Tour who was born and raised in Murrieta.
The field will be reduced to the low 65 and ties following the
conclusion of the third round. Sunday's final round will be played at the Pete
Dye Stadium Course. The winner will receive $1.584 million.
Since The American Express became a 72-hole event in 2012, the
winner's margin of victory has not been more than two strokes in any year.
The tournament will be televised daily through Sunday from 1-4 p.m. on
Golf Channel. Additional coverage will be streamed on the ESPN+ streaming
service from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. daily through Sunday.
The four-time Grammy-winning country vocal group Little Big Town will
perform a concert on the PGA West Stadium Course driving range following
conclusion of play Friday. The rock band Journey, inducted into the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame in 2017, will perform a concert at the same site following
conclusion of play Saturday.
All Friday and Saturday tournament tickets include admission to the
concerts. There are no concert-only tickets.
The concert area on the Pete Dye Stadium Course driving range will
open to spectators at 4 p.m., with the concerts expected to start at
approximately 5 p.m. Chairs and blankets will only be allowed in designated
areas.
All tickets are digital and are available at www.theamexgolf.com.
General parking is in the P Lot and the entrance is on the southbound
side of Jefferson Street, across from The Hideaway Golf Club between Avenue 52
and Avenue 54. Daily parking is $20. Shuttles will take fans from the parking
lot to the tournament entrance.
Gates will open at 7:30 a.m. daily with play beginning at
approximately 8:30 a.m.
Checking the weather forecast before going to the tournament is
recommended. Cool mornings and sunny afternoons are expected, so dressing in
layers is the best idea.
Tournament organizers call sunscreen, a hat, comfortable shoes and
binoculars ``must-have items.''

The American Express PGA Tournament Is Underway