2023 American Express predictions, expert picks, odds, field rankings, golf best bets at PGA West

The PGA Tour makes its way to the continental United States for the first time in 2023

The biggest field of the young year will step foot onto PGA West for the 2023 American Express this week. Featuring 156 players, competitors will be tasked with lugging along their playing partners as the first of two California pro-ams is set to take place. Spread across three different golf courses within the PGA West facilities, The American Express will feature a 54-hole cut rather than the standard 36-hole cut seen on a weekly basis.

Set upon the Stadium Course and the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West and La Quinta Country Club, The American Express has been considered by some to be a "putting contest." That someone responsible for coining such a description is world No. 5 and recent Tournament of Champions winner, Jon Rahm.

Rahm will headline the action, and is joined by a surprisingly strong field for a standard, non-designated PGA Tour event. In fact, 10 of the top 20 players in the world will play in The American Express including world No. 2 Scottie Scheffler and world No. 6 Xander Schauffele, who returns to action following a withdrawal from the Tournament of Champions.

Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Will Zalatoris, Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Tom Kim and Sungjae Im round out the long list of big names looking to kick-start their year in the Coachella Valley.

Event Information

Rick Gehman is joined by Kyle Porter and Patrick McDonald to preview the 2023 American Express. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

• Jon Rahm (6-1): Oh how the turn tables have turned. A year after expressing his displeasure with the setup of this tournament, Rahm arrives as one of the best putters in the world over his last seven measured events. During this span, the Spaniard has averaged +1.46 strokes gained putting per round, nearly double what Tour leader Lucas Herbert averaged in 2022. This has led to three victories including his 2023 debut at the Tournament of Champions. He, oddly enough, lost strokes on approach at Kapalua, but given his familiarity with the desert setting, a bounce back with the irons should be in store for the 2018 champion.
• Scottie Scheffler (10-1): The highest-ranked player in the field, Scheffler nearly recaptured world No. 1 status at the Tournament of Champions before a poor final round. Ultimately finishing T7, his performance at Kapalua marked his sixth top-10 finish in his last seven starts. He leads this field in strokes gained tee to green over the last six months, averaging +1.94 strokes gained per round as the putter finally showed some sign of life. If he can continue to hole putts with some regularity, he will get back into the winner's circle.  
• Patrick Cantlay (11-1)
• Tony Finau (14-1)
• Sungjae Im (18-1): Im's missed cut at the Sony Open was surprising and marked only his fourth missed weekend over his last 25 starts on the PGA Tour. The good news for the South Korean is he returns to a tournament where he has consistently played well. In his four prior trips to Palm Springs, Im has notched finishes of T11, T12, T10 and T12. On the edge of contention in each instance, perhaps his fellow countryman winning the Sony Open will provide the motivation to propel him into the mix.
• Will Zalatoris (20-1)
• Xander Schauffele (20-1): This is a new spot on the playing calendar for Schauffele, who hasn't played in The American Express since his rookie year in 2017. Forced to withdraw during the second round of the Tournament of Champions due to a back injury, all systems appear good to go to reenter competition. Before his early exit from Kapalua, Schauffele was riding finishes of 4th, T9, 4th, T3. With a strong background in desert golf, don't be surprised if the world No. 6 is right there come Sunday.
• Cameron Young (20-1)
• Tom Kim (20-1): Of course the 20-year-old plays well at Kapalua and then implodes at Waialae Country Club. While on paper the latter was the more ideal fit, Kim continues to defy conventional wisdom. A winner in the desert of Las Vegas at the Shriners Children's Open, the PGA West rotation should be right up his alley. Over the last 12 months, Kim ranks first in this field in terms of proximity from 100-150 yards and first from 150-200 yards. After losing nearly seven strokes on the greens of Waialae, just a return to his baseline with the putter will allow him to factor for his third PGA Tour title.
• Sam Burns (28-1)