The PGA Tour heads to La Quinta, Calif., this week for The American Express (Jan. 22-25). Several of the world’s top players are set to make their season debuts at the three-course event, so let’s break down the five storylines to watch.
Scottie Scheffler makes season debut
Scheffler, who won six times in 2025, will make his 2026 debut at The American Express. The world No. 1 is unsurprisingly a +300 favorite (FanDuel) to win the tournament, but La Quinta hasn’t been kind to him in the past.
In his past four starts at The American Express, Scheffler has missed the cut once and finished T25, T11, and T17 in the other three. Still, it would be surprising if he finished outside the top 10 with the way he’s playing.
Ludvig Aberg returns to PGA Tour
Aberg, 26, is coming off an up-and-down season in which he won the Genesis Invitational but notched only five other top-10 finishes in 20 starts. The talented youngster has higher expectations for himself, so he’s aiming for a much better year in 2026.
This will be Aberg’s debut at The American Express and his first PGA Tour start since the Tour Championship in August.
Matt Fitzpatrick brings European hot streak to U.S.
Fitzpatrick didn’t qualify for the 2025 Tour Championship because of his rough start to the season, but he finished strong with four top-10 finishes in his past six starts. He kept that momentum rolling into the offseason with three top-six finishes on the DP World Tour and a win at the DP World Tour Championship over Rory McIlroy in a playoff.
Fitzpatrick is hoping he can bring that strong play in Europe back to the PGA Tour starting this week.
