talkSPORT betting tips – Best golf bets and expert advice for The American Express

The PGA Tour moves to California this week to begin its West Coast Swing with The American Express taking place at La Quinta.

World number one Scottie Scheffler heads the field and is the 3/1 favourite and he will look to make a statement after famously missing last year’s edition after injuring his hand.

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Scheffler has yet to win at La Quinta in his five appearances and he will feature for the first time since December.

Austria’s Sepp Straka is the defending champion after beating Justin Thomas by two strokes in 2025, when winning with a score of -25.

The winner will need to be aggressive from the outset, with a score of -20 or better the winning score since 2008.

The American Express Tips

• Patrick Cantlay 1pt ew @ 28/1
• Sam Burns 1pt ew @ 28/1
• Michael Kim 1pt ew @ 90/1

Home comforts can suit Cantlay

American Patrick Cantlay was last seen at the Procore Championship in 2025, where he finished with a share of 30th.

Cantlay ended 2025 strongly, recording two top-10 finishes at the Tour Championship and FedEx St.Jude Championship.

A return to La Quinta should bring the best out of Cantlay, who finished fifth in this event last year.

Cantlay has featured in the event on seven occasions, and he has finished in the top nine on four occasions.

The world number 27 hails from California and another strong showing is expected in his home state.

Burns eager to build on impressive 2025

Like Scheffler, Sam Burns was last seen at the Hero World Challenge, but he is another player who has shown some impressive form at the track.

Burns only finished 29th at the American Express last year, but he recorded six top-10 finishes in 2025.

He has not finished outside the top 15 in four consecutive PGA Tour starts and he returns to an event where he has two sixth-placed finishes.

Burns is fifth in the lowest-stroke average for the last five American Express events and he looks good value for another big performance in his first outing of 2026.

Kim can learn his lessons

Michael Kim was left to rue a mistake or two at the Sony Open last week, before he eventually had to settle for a share of 31st.

Kim started with rounds of 67 and 68, but then he closed with a 65 after his disappointing 74 on Saturday.

He claimed his putting has not been as strong since the French Open towards the back end of 2025 and he ranked third for strokes gained via putting.

If Kim can make a tweak or two to his approach game, he looks a huge price for this week’s event. He will play the Stadium Course in back-to-back rounds and that should help him get a feel for the place and kick on.

With a low score needed, Kim should be able to make a statement on the same course in successive days, while some of his rivals do not have that advantage during this three-course tournament.

He won the John Deere Classic in 2018 with a score of -27, so anything close to that should stand him in good stead.

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