The 2026 American Express: PGA Tour Golf Betting Odds
He’s a clear-cut favourite on the 2026 American Express golf odds just like he will be in any event in 2026 barring something unforeseen.
The biggest story on the PGA Tour last week was that Brooks Koepka was going to return from LIV Golf via a new Returning Member Program. That allows LIV golfers who have been away from the PGA Tour for at least two years — and who won the Players Championship or one of the four majors (the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship) since 2022 — to return to the PGA Tour under certain conditions and with major financial penalties.
Only the five-time major winner has accepted the conditions thus far, and we will see him next week. 2024 U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm and 2022 Players Championship and British Open winner Cameron Smith are also eligible but apparently staying with LIV at least one more year (so they say for now).
American Chris Gotterup opened the year Sunday at the Sony Open in Hawaii with a two-shot win thanks to a final-round 6-under 64 for his third straight season with a Tour win to move to No. 17 in the world. Gotterup is not in this week’s field, however.
It’s our first look this year at Scheffler, who is the four-time reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year. He would have started 2025 here as well but had a bit of a Christmas accident and thus could not. Scheffler still finished with six wins, including two majors, to join Tiger Woods (1999-2003) as the only players to win the award four or more consecutive times. It was Scheffler’s second year in a row with at least six Tour wins, joining Tiger as the only players to record six or more wins in multiple seasons since 1983.
Former world Top 10 Will Zalatoris will tee it up in a PGA Tour event for the first since the PGA Championship last May as he has been dealing with injuries. Zalatoris was 12th here last year and is +5000 to win for the second time career on Tour.
The defending champion is Austria’s Sepp Straka, who finished at 25-under 263 a year ago and two up on Justin Thomas. Straka took a four-shot lead into the final round at the Coachella Valley tournament and didn’t have a bogey until making two in the final three holes, but he was in control by then. It was Straka’s third career PGA Tour win, he added a fourth later in 2025 and is +3300 to repeat.
Note that we have a 54-hole cut because players compete once each over the first three days at PGA West’s Pete Dye Stadium Course at 7,210 yards, par 72; La Quinta Country Club at 7,060 yards, par 72; and Nicklaus Tournament Course at 7,147 yards, par 72. The Top 65 and ties will play the Stadium Course in Sunday’s final round. It has taken an average of 26 under to win the past seven.
The American Express Golf Odds
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is +275 himself and then you can take the field at -400 – I’ll always take the field even as good as Scheffler is. He hasn’t won here and not contended since a third in 2020.
Ben Griffin (+2000), Ludvig Aberg (+2000), Russell Henley (+2200), Patrick Cantlay (+2500), Robert MacIntyre (+2500) and Sam Burns (+2500) round out the favourites. Griffin has been Top 10 here the past two years and comes off a 19th at the Sony Open.
The Swede Aberg makes his tournament debut off a moderately disappointing 2025, although he did wine once. Henley was 19th Sunday in Hawaii and hasn’t had much success here. The California native Cantlay has four Top 10s in this event topped by a runner-up in 2021. MacIntyre, from Scotland, was fourth Sunday in Hawaii and missed the cut here in 2024. Burns has two sixth-place finishes.
Canadian Mike Weir won this event in 2003 by two over Jay Haas when it was called the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Nick Taylor was trying to defend his title last week at the Sony Open in Hawaii but finished T13. He was T12 here last year and is +6600 this week. Taylor Pendrith is +4500, with Mackenzie Hughes +17500 and Adam Svensson +30000.
The American Express Golf Predictions
I like an American winner and will go with Patrick Cantlay at +2500 as he’s overdue a victory at the tournament with so many close calls.
