Scottie Scheffler returns to the PGA Tour this week as the American Express kicks off the West Coast swing in La Quinta.
Scheffler, who missed the tournament in 2025, enters his first start as the prohibitive favorite on top of Ben Griffin and Ludvig Åberg.
Griffin finished T-7 at La Quinta a year ago and is coming off top-20 finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii last weekend.
Like Scheffler, the California tournament marks the beginning of Åberg’s 2026 season.
Here’s a look at the top betting favorites in La Quinta, Calif.
American Express odds (as of Wednesday morning, courtesy DraftKings):
- Scottie Scheffler (+290)
- Ben Griffin (+2000)
- Ludvig Åberg (+2200)
- Sam Burns (+2500)
- Russell Henley (+2500)
- Robert MacIntyre (+2500)
- Patrick Cantlay (+3000)
- Si Woo Kim (+3000)
- Harry Hall (+4000)
- Taylor Pendrith (+4000)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (+4000)
- Sepp Straka (+4500)
- Michael Thorbjornsen (+4500)
- Kurt Kitayama (+4500)
Longshot winner prediction
For those brave enough to look below Scottie Scheffler, Sepp Straka offers considerably favorable odds for a possible player who will sit atop the leaderboard come Sunday night.
Straka, the 2025 American Express winner, finished 25 under at the Pete Dye Stadium Course a year ago besting Justin Thomas and Jason Day.
He also finished a stroke ahead of Scheffler at the Hero World Challenge last month, placing third in his last tournament.
American Express 2026 prop bet
The first three rounds of the tournament are contested over three courses — the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West, Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West and La Quinta Country Club. Following a 54-hole cut, the final round will be held on the Stadium Course.
Draft Kings offers prop bets for the lowest round score at each course while also offering a general “lowest 18 hole score in tournament” that covers all four rounds.
Those looking for a tournament-long prop that removes some of the course shenanigans should not look any further than Robert MacIntyre at +4000 in that field. MacIntyre is coming off a final-round 63 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and told reporters after the tournament he felt he could have won if not for snapping his putter during Round 2.
While not the best score at Waialae (Nick Taylor and Kevin Roy each shot opening-round 62s), MacIntyre’s fourth-round surge is a sign of good things to come for the 2025 U.S. Open runner-up.