The PGA Tour will stop in California for the West Coast Swing. The Opening drive at Hawaii concluded with a thrilling final round in Honolulu. Now the Tour’s top draws will travel to La Quinta for the American Express. The format remains the same as the last year, the first three rounds will comprise pros and amateurs across three courses. On the final day, the pros will duke it out at the Pete Dye stadium course.
The field is bereft of the world’s top five. Scottie Scheffler is still recovering from a bizarre wrist injury. Xander Schauffele has also pulled out of the tournament. Rory McIlroy is in the Middle East for the Dubai Desert Classic. In their absence, Wyndham Clark, world no.7, is the highest-ranked player in the field. But he is not the favorite. Nick Dunlap, who took the golf world by storm last year, winning the tournament as an amateur, makes the cut. As do four other pros with him.
Nick Dunlap
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Coming at La Quinta hot after a T10 at the Sony Open, Nick Dunlap will be extra motivated to defend the title he won as an amateur. There is no reason to think that the youngster will crumble under the first-title defense pressure. Dunlap’s short game has looked much better at Hawaii than it was last year. Regardless, the two-time PGA Tour winner will bank on his flat stick at the American Express. He led the field in Strokes Gained (SG): Putting at the Sony Open.
History in La Quinta! 🏆
20-year-old Nick Dunlap wins @TheAmExGolf!
He's the first amateur to win on TOUR since 1991. pic.twitter.com/Ga5B6jGmFU
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2024
Patrick Cantlay
An American Express regular, Patrick Cantlay has three top-tens from his six appearances here. Cantlay was one of the few players who made a charge at the Sentry since the second round. After a disastrous 74, he fired back to net a top-15 finish. Patrick Cantlay was second in the field at SG: Around the Green. If the past form is anything to go by, Cantlay looks steady on the greens. Since the US Open, the eight-time PGA Tour winner hasn’t finished outside the top 25 in any of the tournaments.
Cantlay’s strength is in his scrambling (ranked 22nd in the Tour last year), and sand saves (ranked 18th last year). Both qualities come in handy in American Express. Nine of the eleven top-tens from last year were inside the top 20 in scrambling. Cantlay has suffered because of his erratic putting, often losing over a stroke compared to the field. If his flatstick turns hot at the right moment, expect to see the 32-year-old somewhere on the top of the leaderboard.
Sam Burns
Burns was right in the mix at the American Express last year shooting a stellar career-low 61 in the second round. Burns looked solid at the Sentry as well. Despite a debilitating 72 on the opening day, the Louisiana State alum finished at T8 largely thanks to his powerful drives and trusted irons. Burns ranked 14th in SG: Putting last year on Tour. The five-time PGA Tour winner’s record at La Quinta is pretty impressive. Other than the lone missed cut in 2021, Sam Burns has managed to come within the top 20 in four of his five appearances.
Justin Thomas
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The two-time major winner was a clear favorite last year. But Justin Thomas was outclassed by a fresh college student named Nick Dunlap. A year later, Thomas will return to complete that unfinished business. The 2022 PGA Championship winner looked solid in Hawaii despite not netting a top-ten. Thomas was the seventh-best player in the field with irons. At the Sentry, Thomas suffered because of errant drives and driving distance (averaging 282.8 yards off the tee). But at last year’s American Express, Nick Dunlap thrived despite being 57th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-tee. So, there is much hope for JT.
Sungjae Im
That Sungjae Im hasn’t won in the last year is a travesty of fate. Have you checked his form in the last 25 starts? He has been top-tenning since last year’s Wells Fargo in May. In his last five starts, the two-time PGA Tour winner hasn’t finished outside the top 15, netting a solo third at the Sentry, his last appearance.
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This will be Im’s seventh outing at the American Express, a tournament he loves to play. And perform well. Im hasn’t missed teeing off in California since his debut in 2019, never finishing worse than 25. At the Sentry, the 26-year-old was second in SG: Off the tee, 4th SG: Putting, and 4th SG: Around the Green. An all-round game as best as it gets.
Aside from these five also keep an eye on Tony Finau, whose record at La Quinta suggests he should be inside the top 15. On the other hand, Englishman Harry Hall is running on solid momentum netting two back-to-back top-tens in Hawaii. The American Express will tee off this Thursday.
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Debate
Will Justin Thomas avenge last year's defeat by Nick Dunlap, or is Dunlap the new king of La Quinta?
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Will Justin Thomas avenge last year's defeat by Nick Dunlap, or is Dunlap the new king of La Quinta?
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