The 2024 American Express Best Picks, Odds: Bet Sungjae Im, Mark Hubbard, Cam Davis

The PGA Tour heads to the mainland for the 2024 American Express from Palm Springs. The Amex is using three different courses – La Quinta Country Club, Jack Nicklaus Tournament, and the Pete Dye Stadium Course over the first 54 holes. The last round is being played on the Pete Dye Stadium Course after the field is cut.

The 2024 American Express: Tournament History & Trends

The Amex got its humble beginnings back in 1960 when it was launched as the Palm Springs Golf Classic. Five years later it became the namesake tournament of Bob Hope as the Bob Hope Desert Classic. It’s since changed titles and sponsors a few times, settling on its current name, The American Express in 2020.

Players undoubtedly look forward to this event which is known for its warm weather backdropped by a beautiful desert setting, especially since it’s played in mid-January when most of the continental U.S. is quite literally freezing. This has definitely influenced the type of play we’ve historically seen at The American Express. Here are a few trends standing out above the rest.

Starting off, it’s easy to see that in order to take home the trophy from Coachella Valley, the score is going to have to be low – really low! The average winning score here at The American Express is -24 over the last ten events. Eight straight winners have been 20-under or better. Since the turn of the century, only one victor has not scored this low. Needless to say, this week’s winner will have to play extremely well.

Adding more intrigue to this opening West Coast Swing tournament is the fact that the competition for the win will be great. As Ron Klos from Betsperts Golf said “The strongest-ever field will tee it up this week in the California desert at the American Express, including 10 of the top-25 and 22 of the top-50 ranked players in the world.”

In addition to that, players of every caliber will have to be able to perform under pressure. This is evidenced by the fact that the margin of victory has been two or fewer strokes in all 14 tournaments since 2010. We’ve also seen four occurrences where a playoff was required to crown a victor.

The 2024 American Express Odds

As previously mentioned, the 2024 American Express field is loaded with talent. So let’s check out the shortest outright odds from DraftKings Sportsbook below.

*Odds current at time of publication

2024 American Express Favorites

Scottie Scheffler +550

The favorite for the 2024 American Express should come as no surprise to anyone. It’s world No.1 Scottie Scheffler sitting atop yet another pre-tournament odds board. Scheffler hasn’t actually won on Tour since last March’s Players Championship but has been in contention on multiple occasions since. He also got his 2024 campaign off to a strong start. He held a 36-hole lead and ultimately finished tied for 5th at The Sentry just a couple of weeks ago.

Patrick Cantlay +1000 & Xander Schauffele +1200 

Cantlay and Schauffele are the only two other golfers with odds currently inside 15-1. And although neither notched a win last season, just like Scheffler, they were in contention at multiple events.

Both guys have also played really well at The American Express in the past. Schauffele used a final round 62 to finish tied for 3rd last year. Cantlay is as consistent as anyone in Palm Springs scoring 18-under four straight years. He also has three finishes inside the top 10 including a 1-stroke back, runner-up finish in 2021.

The 2024 American Express Best Bets

With the help from our friends over at Betsperts Golf, here are a couple of 2024 American Express Best Bets to consider.

Sungjae Im Top 20 (+110) Bet Rivers

“In his five trips to Palm Springs, Im has finished 18th, 11th, 12th, 10th, and 12th. That is a 100% past hit rate…and I’m getting plus money? Sign me up!” – Ron Klos

Mark Hubbard Top 40 +140  (DraftKings)

“A good irons player with approach metrics that near some of the top players in the field this week. Mark played last week, which I think is a benefit early in the season when some golfers are coming off longer layoffs. His scoring metrics probably aren’t good enough for him to have a real shot at winning, but his total strokes gained in “easy scoring conditions” relative to the field is in the top 20 amongst the golfers here at PGA West this week.  I think he can find enough birdies to get him a nice finish and a decent little payday this week”. – Andy Molitor

Cam Davis T40 (+110, BetRivers)

“Last week’s first-round leader faded a bit over the weekend, but I’m willing to go back to him here. Cam Davis is long off the tee, and his one career win came at The Rocket Mortgage back in 2021. That high-level profile tells a story that doesn’t quite fit Davis’s reality on Tour. His best finishes outside of his win have come on shorter, less-than-driver, positional tracks, typically Pete Dye courses like we have this week. Over the past three years, he ranks seventh in this field in average strokes gained per round on Dye courses. He’s routinely played well at both TPC Sawgrass and the RBC Heritage, posting at T7 or better at both events last season. When looking at performance in easy or very easy scoring conditions over the past three seasons, Davis ranks eighth in total strokes gained.” – Ryan Noonan