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The PGA Tour travels to California for the so-called "West Coast Swing" and The American Express is its first stop of 2024 on the mainland. The tournament will be played from January 18 to 21 at its traditional location La Quinta.
As usual, The American Express will be played on three courses, the La Quinta Country Club, the Pete Dye Stadium Course and the Nicklaus Tournament Course. Each of the venues will host one of the first three rounds, while the Stadium Course will repeat on Sunday.
The La Quinta Country Club course was inaugurated in 1999 and is a Lawrence Hughes design. It has 7,060 yards and is par 72, with seven holes with water hazards and a -2.42 average score.
As for the other two courses, both the Stadium Course and the Tournament Course are part of the so-called PGA West, a set of six courses developed in La Quinta, California, during the 1980s. The other four facilities are the Norman Course, the Nicklaus Private, the Palmer Course, and the Weiskopf Course.
The Stadium Course was designed by Pete Dye in 1986. It has 7,187 yards and is par 72. The course also has seven holes with water hazards and its scoring average in 2023 was -2.74.
The Nicklaus Tournament Course, on the other hand, has 7,159 yards and is par 72. This course reduces the presence of water hazards to five holes and also has a lower scoring average (-3.28).
The La Quinta Country Club course has hosted the event since 2010, although it had previously served as a venue several times. The Stadium Course and the Nicklaus Tournament Course started hosting the event in 2016.
The American Express: History, statistics and more
Traditionally, The American Express has been a birdie fest. According to Roto Baller, the average winning score for the last five editions of the event has been -25, so the ability to elude water hazards can be essential.
According to Roto Baller, the top performers at The American Express are as follows (considering Stroke Gained [total] over the last 36 rounds at the event):
- Si Woo Kim
- Adam Hadwin
- Patrick Cantlay
- Sungjae Im
- Scottie Scheffler
- Tony Finau
- Sam Burns
- Andrew Putnam
- Davis Thompson
- Will Zalatoris
The American Express was founded in 1960 as the Palm Springs Golf Classic and Arnold Palmer won its inaugural edition. The event has always been played in Southern California and has been hosted by a total of 13 venues.
Initially, the tournament was played over five rounds and four courses. Since 2012, it has adopted the 72-hole format and is played in three locations.
Palmer is the player with the most wins at the tournament (5). Nine other players have won twice, including Phil Mickelson and defending champion Jon Rahm.
Among the great stars who have played and won there are also Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller.
