While Phil Mickelson might be the new tournament host at The American Express, the player to beat according to Las Vegas is Rickie Fowler.
Oddsmakers at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook have installed Fowler as a 12/1 betting favorite this week in Palm Springs. While he's slipped to No. 22 in the latest world rankings, Fowler is coming off a T-5 finish in Maui two weeks ago and will be making his first start at this event since a T-33 finish in 2014.
Next among the favorites is Sungjae Im, listed at 18/1 despite having never won on the PGA Tour, and Paul Casey at 20/1. Mickelson, in his first year as event host, headlines a pack of players at 40/1.
Here's a look at some of the notable odds for this week's event in California:
12/1: Rickie Fowler
18/1: Sungjae Im
20/1: Paul Casey
25/1: Tony Finau
30/1: Kevin Kisner, Charles Howell III, Byeong-Hun An, Billy Horschel, Scottie Scheffler
40/1: Phil Mickelson, Cameron Champ, Matthew Wolff, Francesco Molinari, Abraham Ancer, Jason Kokrak
50/1: Brendon Todd, J.T. Poston, Alex Noren, Ryan Moore, Brian Harman
How will world No. 1 Koepka fare in Abu Dhabi?
In the other desert tournament this week, world No. 1 Brooks Koepka returns to action at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - but he isn't the betting favorite. That distinction belongs to Patrick Cantlay and two-time champ Tommy Fleetwood, who are listed just ahead of Koepka.
Here are some of the notable odds for this week's European Tour event:
10/1: Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood
12/1: Brooks Koepka
16/1: Louis Oosthuizen
20/1: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Bryson DeChambeau
25/1: Branden Grace, Thomas Pieters
30/1: Sergio Garcia
40/1: Viktor Hovland, Bernd Wiesberger, Danny Willett, Robert MacIntyre, Matthias Schwab, Martin Kaymer
50/1: Erik van Rooyen, Matt Wallace, Joost Luiten, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Tom Lewis, Thomas Detry