The American Express 2026: Preview and betting tips
Thu, 22 Jan 2026
Thu, 22 Jan 2026
Odds Now’s golf tipster Ross Kilvington continues his look at the events on the 2026 PGA Tour. Check out his Dubai Desert Classic preview for the DP World Tour, if you haven't already.
In this latest preview, the focus is on The American Express 2026, set to start on Thursday at Palm Springs in the US. Read on to find out which golfers are being tipped for success this weekend.
The 2026 PGA Tour opened last week in Hawaii, with Chris Gotterup emerging victorious at the Sony Open.
Our best bet at Odds Now, Hideki Matsuyama, finished T9 in what was an encouraging enough start to the new season.
This week, the PGA Tour moves to Palm Springs as the usual West Coast swing begins with the American Express.
Held across three courses - The Stadium Course, The Nicklaus Tournament Course and La Quinta – with players playing three rounds at each course.
Those who make the 54-hole cut will then play the final round at Pete Dye’s Stadium Course.
As such, looking at players who play well on his designs is a big factor this week.
Scottie Scheffler makes his first start since the Hero World Challenge in December, while he hasn’t played an official PGA Tour event since the Procore Championship in September.
With a strong field heading to California, we take a look at three selections ahead of the second PGA Tour event of 2026.
After failing to secure a place at the 2025 Masters, Ben Griffin made up for that over the next few months, winning three PGA Tour titles.
Wins at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Charles Schwab Challenge ensured Griffin would seal a place in the US Ryder Cup team.
He may have only played twice at Bethpage, but he did win his Sunday singles match as the home side nearly overcame a seven-point deficit.
The American then won the World Wide Technology Championship in his last start of 2025, before finishing T19 at the Sony last week.
After one event, he ranks sixth for Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (1.005) and 27th for one-putt percentage (38.89%).
Not only that, Griffin has improved each year he has played in this event, finishing 32nd in 2023, 9th in 2024, and 7th in 2025.
If he follows this trajectory, Griffin could add another tour title this week.
Michael Thorbjornsen finished fourth on his first regular PGA Tour start at 2022 Travelers Championship, but it took him until 2024 to start making his name on tour.
Throughout 2025, the American sealed four top-four finishes on the PGA Tour, with his last start coming at the RSM Classic last November.
The 24-year-old ranked first on tour for hitting Green in Regulations (73.56%) last year, while he also ranked seventh for SG: Off the Tee (0.588) during his rookie season.
Having enjoyed a better second half of 2025, Thorbjornsen will be eager to start this year off in solid fashion.
Tom Hoge is priced northwards of 200/1 with some bookmakers, but I believe the 10 places on offer from Ladbrokes ensure a great chance of this bet landing.
Hoge might not have enjoyed much form in recent months, with his best finish coming back in June at the Memorial (T7), but he has excelled on Dye’s courses previously.
Take TPC Sawgrass, for instance. The 36-year-old finished T3 in 2025 and 2023, and has made every cut at the event since turning professional.
Hoge has won in California before, claiming the 2022 Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and he also finished second in this event that year.
At the Sony Open, he made just eight bogeys across his 72 holes, but he couldn’t get his putter firing, making 15 birdies and a single eagle.
Nevertheless, a T40 finish was decent and given his course history heading into the American Express, odds of 150/1 at way to generous to be avoiding.
1pt EW - Ben Griffin – 20/1 (Bet365 - 1/4 odds, 5 places)
0.75pt EW - Michael Thorbjornsen – 50/1 (Bet365 - 1/4 odds, 5 places)
0.5pt EW - Tom Hoge – 150/1 (Various - 1/5 odds, 10 places)
Total staked - 4.5pts
Ross Kilvington is Odds Now's chief golf tipster, covering events from the PGA and DP World Tour across the season.
Ahead of every major event, you can check out Ross' betting card and detailed explanations for his three weekly picks, where he has unearthed several winners in 2025 alone.
Based in Scotland, Ross also freelances for a number of other sports publications.
Ross Kilvington is Odds Now's chief golf tipster, covering events from the PGA and DP World Tour across the season.
Ahead of every major event, you can check out Ross' betting card and detailed explanations for his three weekly picks, where he has unearthed several winners in 2025 alone.
Based in Scotland, Ross also freelances for a number of other sports publications.
Ross's p/l
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Year 2026
Win number 3 of the season! 🏆 Winning is always special, but it means even more when it happens at one of your sponsor’s events. Couldn’t be happier to get the victory at the @wwtchampionship. Let’s keep it rolling! 😎
