Field Level Media’s Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.
PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Sony Open in Hawaii (Nick Taylor)
THIS WEEK: The American Express, La Quinta, Calif., Jan. 16-19
Courses: PGA West Pete Dye Stadium Course (Par 72, 7,210 Yards); PGA West Nicklaus Stadium Course (Par 72, 7,147 Yards); La Quinta Country Club (Par 72, 7,060 Yards)
Purse: $8.8M (Winner: $1.584M)
Defending Champion: Nick Dunlap
FedEx Cup leader: Hideki Matsuyama
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Sunday: 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Sunday: 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET
X: @TheAmexGolf
NOTES: This is the first of two events with a pro-am format and one of four played across multiple courses. Each professional will be grouped with amateurs for the first three rounds and play once on each course. The low 65 professionals and ties will advance to play the final round at the Stadium Course. … The field features 20 of the top 50 players in the world, led by No. 7 Wyndham Clark. … Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler withdrew as he continues to recover from a hand injury suffered over the holidays. … Last year, Dunlap became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson at the 1991 Northern Telecom Open, and the first sponsor exemption to win since Martin Laird at the 2020 Shriners Children’s Open. … Blades Brown, 17, will make his first PGA Tour start as a professional. He joined Tiger Woods and Bobby Clampett as the only players to earn medalist honors at the U.S. Junior and U.S. Amateur. His mother, Rhonda, played in the WNBA.
BEST BETS: Sungjae Im (+1200 at DraftKings) began the year with a solo third at The Sentry for his fifth consecutive top-13 finish worldwide. … Justin Thomas (+1200) tied for third last year, highlighted by a third-round 61. … Sam Burns (+1400) tied for sixth and 11th the past two years, and has six consecutive top-15 worldwide. … Patrick Cantlay (+1800) shot a 60 as an amateur in 2011 and finished runner-up here in 2021. … Tony Finau (+2200) will make his eighth start in the event, with a best finish to date of fourth place in 2021. … Clark (+3000) is the top-ranked player in the field. After a T15 at The Sentry, he competed in the debut match of the TGL on Jan. 6. … Dunlap (+5000) shot a third-round 60 en route to winning last year and is coming off a T10 in Honolulu. … Will Zalatoris (+5000), who added 20 pounds of muscle over the offseason in an effort to avoid injuries, said this is the “best I’ve felt.” He’s coming off a T26 at The Sentry, where he opened with a 65.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Farmers Insurance Open, San Diego, Jan. 22-25
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
THIS WEEK: Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii, Jan. 16-18
Course: Hualalai GC (Par 72, 7,107 Yards)
Purse: $2M (Winner: $340,000)
Defending Champion: Steven Alker
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Sunday: 7-10 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
X: @MEC_golf
NOTES: The 54-hole event runs Thursday-Sunday. … The 42-player field includes four first-time participants: Ricardo Gonzalez, Tim O’Neal and Y.E. Yang, who each claimed their first Champions Tour titles last year, along with Thomas Bjorn. … Twelve-time PGA Tour winner and Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger will replace Lanny Wadkins as the lead analyst for Champions Tour broadcasts this season. … Steve Stricker holds the course record of 60, which he shot in the second round en route to his victory in 2023. The 54-hole record of 25-under 191 is shared by Alker last year and Loren Roberts in 2006.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Trophy Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco, Feb. 6-8
LPGA TOUR
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Tournament of Champions, Orlando, Fla., Jan. 30-Feb. 2
LIV GOLF LEAGUE
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 6-8
–Field Level Media