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2024 The American Express: Odds, Picks & Predictions

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The PGA Tour surges eastward from Hawaii to join the contiguous U.S. at The American Express. The Coachella Valley hosts a longstanding pro-am at three unique courses in La Quinta, Calif. There will be a barrage of scoring to try and sneak into Sunday contention after a 54-hole cut. Though with a stronger field than in previous years, The American Express is known for crowning champions from the relative unknown.

2024 The American Express: Odds, Picks & Predictions

(Odds Courtesy of DraftKings SportsBook)

The unknown is prominent here. At both the La Quinta Country Club and Nicklaus Tournament courses, conditions are easy enough to accommodate any golfer at this level and nurture a breakthrough week. The best in the world earn a chance to find their groove and shift into the extra gear in time for the three entirely better events coming directly after this week. The Amex is a look-ahead for the top golfers. Their minds will be buzzing with Torrey Pines and Riviera, followed by illustrious Pebble Beach. A birdie bonanza in the desert isn’t for the faint of heart.

The Pete Dye Stadium course is the one of the three that has any teeth at all. The course is mapped in TPC Sawgrass’ image, but the similarities abruptly end there. The golfer we’re looking to bet on is both good as a ball-striker and is entering the week with a hot putter. It also doesn’t hurt to see softer odds on golfers who have been playing well in recent weeks. As unpredictable as The Amex is, one direct contributor to success this week will be how well a golfer is already playing. Let’s tee off.

Xander Schauffele

There won’t be a lot of focus on the favorites this week. I’m nearly certain a long shot will emerge victorious this week, but if a favorite has a chance to go low and torch this field, I’ll lean toward Xander Schauffele over Patrick Cantlay and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Schauffele is as well-rounded as any golfer in the world and has performed well in Southern California events throughout his career.

Picks: Outright +1200 [1u]; Top-5 +280 [1u]

Sungjae Im

The young Korean is nearly automatic at achieving a top-10 finish in this event. No wonder. Sungjae Im’s iron play is stellar, and the rest of his bag is at least solid. He is a proven winner on Tour, making it very easy to envision his ascent to hoist this trophy come Sunday.

Picks: Outright +2200 [0.5u]; Top-10 +230 [1u]

JT Poston

There might not be a hotter golfer in existence than JT Poston. The “Postman” delivered a sizzling final round at Wai’alae last week and has ripped through La Quinta in recent years, to boot. An elite putter, Poston also has been dialed in from the key approach distances and is among the best in this field in converting birdie opportunities.

Picks: Outright +3000 [0.5u]; Top-10 +300 [0.5u]

Akshay Bhatia

Just when I thought I would get a week off of betting Akshay Bhatia, the sportsbooks screwed up his line in our favor to an egregious level. The young SoCal native is scorching hot entering the week. His 13th-place finish at the Sony Open last week was a stunner for those who wondered if he had enough off-the-tee game to make that happen. Since he clearly does, and these three courses will not offer much scoring resistance, I will be wagering in his favor yet again.

Picks: Outright +6000 [0.5u]; Top-10 +550

Adam Schenk

There are long shots in this field who might check most of the boxes, but there’s always one key metric that brings pause. That is not the case for Adam Schenk. He is firmly in the green in every metric in my weighted model this week and is also entering Palm Springs swinging well. His event history dictates a pattern of improvement here that is very encouraging. I have a good feeling about this one.

Picks: Outright +8000 [0.5u]; Top-20 +300 [0.5u]

Austin Eckroat

Another pleasant surprise near the top of the leaderboard at last week’s Sony Open was Austin Eckroat. Ever the volatile player, he was making birdies in bunches at Wai’alae, which plays really well at The Amex. For all of the apprehension I feel when filling a betting slip for this Mickey Mouse event, I feel more confident in identifying the golfers worthy of investing a small amount for a gargantuan return. Eckroat has the firepower I’m looking for in all the right places.

Picks: Outright +13000 [0.25u]; Top-20 +360 [0.5u]

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:


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