The 2023 calendar year has kicked off with two interesting events in Hawaii. First, Collin Morikawa blew a big Sunday lead which allowed Jon Rahm to capture the Sentry Tournament of Champions as the golf odds favorite two weeks ago. Jordan Spieth was near the top of the leaderboard after a 64 on Friday at the Sony Open, but he fell all the way to a missed cut as Si Woo Kim won that tournament in Honolulu.
The Islands are in the rearview, and now we focus on golf American Express odds for this coming weekend in La Quinta. This is a Pro-Am event, so the three courses are set up to play rather easily for amateurs. The winning score has been -20 or lower for the last 10 years. This trend should continue outside of some unforeseen catastrophic weather.
The American Express Tournament Information
The American Express Tournament
Location of the game: PGA West. Blvd La Quinta, CA.
Date: January 19th-22nd, 2023.
How to watch: Golf Channel, ESPN+, Peacock.
The American Express Tournament Analysis
The American Express Recap and Analysis
Hudson Swafford won this event last season, cashing in at +15000 on the golf picks, which was a surprisingly high number considering he also won this event in 2017. Swafford will not get the chance to become a 3X American Express champion, as he has left the PGA for the LIV.
Jon Rahm already has a win in the 2023 calendar year with his victory at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui two weeks ago, and he’s the +650 favorite on the odds board at La Quinta. These rotating courses are essentially birdie fests for the Pro-Am setup. Jon Rahm and some of the other 10 of the top 20 OWGR players in this field should put up some huge (low) numbers this weekend.
Rahm won this event in 2018 at just +1000, rare low odds for the champion of this event. Rahm is among nine other past winners of this event which also includes:
- Kim (2021)
- Andrew Landry (2020)
- Adam Long (2019)
- Jason Dufner (2016)
- Bill Haas (2015,2010)
- Brian Gay (2013)
- Jhonattan Vegas (2011)
- Charley Hoffman (2007)
The American Express Favorites
Jon Rahm +650
Rahm comes into the weekend at +650 in the golf American Express odds, but he was also the favorite last year but could only manage a T14. Will Zalatoris (+1600) and Patrick Cantlay (+1000) both finished in the top 10 of this event last season. This two will be popular on the golf picks for this weekend.
Scottie Scheffler +1000
You have to give world number two Scottie Scheffler a look at +1000 this weekend in La Quinta. He’s obviously looking ahead a bit to defending his title at Augusta in April, but his performances are coming around with a 9th or better finish in four straight events.
Tony Finau +1400
Tony Finau (+1400) has found out how to win, picking up a victory on the Fall leg at the Houston Open following his back-to-back victories late last season at the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic. He started off 2023 decent with a T7 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Xander Schauffele +2000 and Tom Kim +2200
There is some great value this weekend on Xander Schauffele at +2000 and Tom Kim at +2200. Schauffele did have to withdraw at the Sentry due to a back injury, so his health should be monitored, but Kim picked up a T5 in Maui before a disappointing MC in Honolulu. Kim having a couple of extra days off heading to California is not a bad thing.
The American Express Underdogs
The accepted narrative is that PGA West is a birdie fest; it has to be with the amateurs playing, so we don’t want seven-hour rounds. You would generally think that the top golfers in OWGR would always claim this event then, but it’s been just the opposite.
Rahm’s win in 2018 at +1000 was an anomaly as far as the golf American Express odds go recently. Swafford won at anywhere from +15000 to +20000 last year, and S.W. Kim got the win in 2020 at +6600 – pretty solid ROI for a top-name golfer. Andrew Landry cashed out in 2020 as the victor at +20000, but that payout was nothing compared to Adam Long’s win in 2019 at +60000.
Essentially this is a tournament with big names, but one that has been proven to be capable of being won by anybody. Take a chance this weekend on a Thomas Detry (+9000) or an S.H. Kim (+15000).
The American Express Betting Picks AND Odds
To Win: Tom Kim (+2200)
Tom Kim did not like his missed cut last weekend at the Sony Open, but in the big picture, it helped him rest, relax, and move forward. Kim was a sight to see at the President’s Cup and showed he’s an entertainer, something that will be prevalent in the Pro-Am format.
The American Express golf odds for Tom Kim are just too good to pass up here.
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