An expanded field of over 140 golfers competed at the Sony Open, which created opportunities for players with much lower expectations and high-value odds to climb the leaderboard. Ultimately, Hayden Buckley ceded his three-day lead to Si Woo Kim, sinking birdies on the final two holes of the back-nine on Sunday to hoist the hardware and take home the $1.7 million purse. This week on the PGA Tour circuit, the site returns stateside to La Quinta, California in the Coachella Valley for the 64th edition of The American Express. It’s a unique format, as players will compete on a different course during each of the first three rounds before the cut-line is enforced after Saturday wraps up. Yes, a 54-hole cut line means that players won’t need as much urgency on Thursday and Friday, but the lack of familiarity due to playing three different courses will be the obstacle to conquer. Sunday’s closing round will be the only repeat track at the legendary PGA West Stadium Course designed by Pete Dye. It’s also a Pro-Am, meaning amateurs and professionals will be grouped up during the first three rounds as they try to keep their scorecards low at PGA West Stadium Course, La Quinta Country Club, and PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course.

Let’s recap how my recommended picks fared in DFS lineups last weekend at Waialae Country Club. Tom Kim missed the cut with a shockingly abysmal performance, finishing +1 after two rounds. Brian Harman started and finished nicely, but the middle rounds cost him a T25 finish, as he wound up -9 with a T32 finish on Sunday. Matt Kuchar went even in the opening round then proceeded to go three-under-par or better in the final three rounds, elevating him to a T7 finish at -13. Greyson Sigg made the cut but didn’t do much damage with -7 (T48), while former 2013 winner Russell Henley delivered a nine-under-par (T32) finish without any significant low rounds to boost him up the leaderboard. Lastly, J.J. Spaun went -12 (T12) but had a real chance to remain competitive to be the outright winner until he shot +1 on Saturday. Overall, it was a solid slate but Kim’s missed cut really set us back.

Let’s dive into the courses and their layouts, along with some of the best betting stats to track and previous winners at The American Express. Most importantly, I’ll dive into six of my favorite prospects to target when building DraftKings and FanDuel lineups ahead of Thursday’s opening round at the Pete Dye Stadium Course. Let’s cash out and enjoy some golf in the sunny Coachella Valley this weekend!

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Previous Winners

• 2022 – Hudson Swafford (-23)
• 2021 – Si Woo Kim (-23)
• 2020 – Andrew Landry (-26)
• 2019 – Adam Long (-26)
• 2018 – Jon Rahm (-22)

Relevant Betting Stats

• Greens in Regulation percentage
• Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
• Sand save percentage
• Strokes Gained: Putting

Course Overview

Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West will be the first and final circuit played at The American Express. It’s historically one of the most challenging courses for golfers to win, as undulations, bodies of water, and island greens demand accuracy. Steep slopes and penal hazards punish errant approach shots and tee shots, while there aren’t many visual blockades on the fairways. All three courses are stock par 72s, which tip at 7,060 yards at La Quinta CC, to 7,187 yards at the Stadium Course.

La Quinta CC has historically scored the lowest of the three tracks, while it now features TifDwarf Bermuda greens, which is a different putting surface than the typical bentgrass or Bermuda greens players see at other courses. The Nicklaus Tournament course is the third and final track, which also has TifEagle Bermuda greens that have been designed to encompass a bigger square footage area at 7,000 square feet in its last two AmEx events. The rough on all three courses is cut below two inches, as most of the difficult lies will stem from an undulation, steep sloped greens on approach shots, as well as deep sand bunkers and rock-lined greens that are flanked by bodies of water. Ball striking will be at a premium per usual, but quick adaptation to the undulations and unique lies will be key to success.

Recommended Plays: DraftKings

DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000

Jon Rahm: $10,800
It would be foolish to ignore the hot streak that 28-year-old Spaniard Jon Rahm is currently riding. He took last week’s Sony Open off after mounting an impressive comeback win at Sentry, shooting nine-under-par in the opening round and ten-under-par in the closing round to usurp Collin Morikawa’s ironclad lead. Rahm has won at The American Express back in 2018 with a sudden death playoff that took four extra holes until he birdied the 18th hole to beat Andrew Landry. He also logged a -10 start during 2018, allowing him to get off to a quick start that wound up giving him the opportunity to take advantage of Landry’s untimely bogey. It’s chalky but Rahm is a birdie machine and hits over 79 percent of greens in regulation, so don’t hesitate to pay up for his talent.

Si Woo Kim: $9,200
Another previous winer at The American Express is Si Woo Kim, who is fresh off of an outright win at the Sony Open. He’s currently 40/1 to win this weekend, which are similar odds to his outlook entering Sony last weekend. The 27-year-old South Korean is ranked sixth in strokes gained tee-to-green, third in strokes gained approaching the green, and hits over 74 percent of his greens in regulation. Kim has an accurate driver and already has two T10 finishes in five events this season, so we’re getting a nice discounted salary at $9.2K on DraftKings. Take advantage of his momentum, confidence, and familiarity and plug Kim into your DFS lineups.

Andrew Putnam: $8,700
Andrew Putnam played collegiate golf at Pepperdine University, which isn’t far from these three courses in La Quinta, California. The 33-year-old American has yet to miss a cut this season in nine events, which also includes a T4 finish at the Sony Open last weekend. Putnam delivered a T14 (-14) finish here last season, preceded by finishes of T21 and T10. At under $9,000 on DraftKings, Putnam has the experience to dominate these three courses, relying on his putter, which is ranked 15th in strokes gained putting. He also has nice touch around the green and approaching the green, which will be critical to his ability to manufacture a fourth straight T25 finish at the American Express.

Recommended Plays: FanDuel

FanDuel maximum salary is set at $60,000

Patrick Cantlay: $11,700
The player with the third-highest odds to win outright on DraftKings is California native Patrick Cantlay. The 30-year-old logged a T16 finish at Sentry and rested last week, preparing for the return to his native state, where he’s been extremely successful in previous outings. Cantlay has few flaws in his game, which includes ranking fifth in strokes gained putting and 22nd in strokes gained off-the-tee. He ranks first in greens in regulation at a dazzling 81 percent conversion rate, while he’s previously finished 9th and 2nd during his last two appearances at the American Express. Lock Cantlay into as many FanDuel lineups as possible despite the high salary.

Taylor Montgomery: $10,400
A player without much success converting his greens in regulation remains a fixture in my favorite DFS prospects this weekend. 27-year-old Taylor Montgomery has three T10 finishes in eight events this season, making every cut and dominating with a powerful driver, accurate putter, and a 4.66 birdie average per round. It’s Montgomery’s first full season on the PGA Tour circuit, so he doesn’t have experience competing at The American Express, but any player with a top-10 putter and the ability to drain birdies qualifies as a smash start in DFS lineups, particularly at his $10.4K salary on FanDuel.

Russell Knox: $8,600
37-year-old Scottish golfer Russell Knox is an intriguing salary-saving prospect on FanDuel this weekend. Knox is still searching for his first T10 finish of the season despite playing in nine events, but he’s only missed one cut and is ranked eighth in strokes gained approaching the green. Knox also converts over 72 percent of his greens in regulation, which is an asset that will be very handy navigating the punishing PGA West Stadium Course this weekend. Knox has three T25 finishes so far and has mixed results in La Quinta, missing the cut in 2022, finishing T16 (-12) in 2021, and T37 (-13) back in 2020. He’s a bit of a dart throw considering some of his strokes gained metrics, but at $8.6K on FanDuel, Knox is worth investing in as a steady floor play.

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Whether you’re new to daily fantasy golf or a seasoned professional, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Golf Glossary. You can get started with The Stats That Matter Most or head to a more advanced strategy — like How To Use Vegas Odds To Generate Your Lineup  — to learn more.

Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.