The American Express: in-form Cantlay can strike California gold

After two events on the islands of Hawaii, the PGA Tour heads back to the mainland and the Californian desert for the multi-venue American Express tournament. 

It’s a three-course event in Palm Springs in the same format as the Alfed Dunhill on the European Tour that’s contested at St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie. 

Here, the 156 players will play a round each at the Stadium Course and the Tournament Course at PGA West along with La Quinta Country Club, before the final round takes place back at the PGA West’s Stadium Course. 

The Stadium Course is a typical Pete Dye creation which means there’s plenty of water in play, and it’s tough – so tough in fact that when it was debuted at this event in 1987 the players launched a petition to have it removed for being too difficult! 

Well-rounded game needed for three-course deal 

La Quinta is one of the easier tracks the PGA Tour pros will play all season while the Tournament Course is more of a test and the Stadium Course remains the toughest of the three, with some classic Dye features such as water in play on half of the holes. 

You may notice the finishing stretch of the Stadium Course mirrors the famous TPC Sawgrass, Dye’s masterpiece in Florida, in particular with an island green on the par three 17th.  

Named Alcatraz, it’s not the type of hole that golfers can get out of jail easily on – Dye said his closing three holes here were “maybe the most difficult finishing holes I’ve ever built” so this tournament is never over until it’s over. 

Expect some drama down the stretch on Sunday. 

Jon Rahm is the pre-tournament favourite

Big names in the field 

World No.1 Jon Rahm heads the betting as the 6.8 favourite ahead of world No.4 and reigning FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay at 10 – they're the top two out of 14 of the world’s top 50 participating this week. 

It’s a Pro-Am format this week though with the cut made after three rounds instead of two – to ensure everyone plays the three courses once before the final round.  

The unusual format can often throw up big-priced winners, although Cantlay looks worth a shot this week given he finished second last season to Si Woo Kim after shooting 61 on Sunday, while he’s also got solid form on similar desert courses. 

Cantlay’s got a win and three other top 11 finishes in his last four events, so even taking 3.4 on him to place here looks a sound investment. 

The ever-popular Phil Mickelson (priced at a huge 220) and Tony Finau (22) are back in action after a week off while Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler make their first starts of the year both priced at 60, which just shows how their games have gone off the boil. 

Scottie Scheffler will surely grab his first win on the PGA Tour soon enough, but perhaps not in his first start of 2022, while Sungjae Im has solid each-way claims at 21 after winning the Shriners in the desert last year and playing well in this event before. 

But looking at slightly bigger prices, we’ve got interesting competitors in Seamus Power at 32 and Abraham Ancer at 36. The switch back to desert golf should help Ancer after two bad weeks, and he’s finished fifth and second here on his last two starts. 

Power has been bubbling up nicely and looks ready for a victory after a fourth and third-placed finish in his last three starts. It’d be no surprise if he went close here. 

Recommended bets 

Patrick Cantlay at 10 

Seamus Power at 32 

Abraham Ancer at 36