American Express is scheduled to kick off from January 22 to 25, 2026. Like every year, the tournament will be hosted at the Pete Dye Stadium Course, the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA WEST, and the La Quinta Country Club. Following the first three rounds, the low 65 and ties that survive the cut will play at the Pete Dye Stadium Course. With the total prize purse listed at a whopping $9.2 million, the excitement is brewing. Here are the top 5 picks who can probably win the second event of the season.

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5. Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay did not have a particularly rosy 2025. However, despite going winless, Cantlay had some strong performances. While he recorded a T36 finish at the Masters, Cantlay also ended up T13 at the RBC Heritage in April 2025. At the Travelers Championship in June 2025, he shot (67-68-68-69), which looked quite impressive, because the event was plagued by some strong winds.

Playing at the Tour Championship in August 2025, he was tied for the lead at 16-under after 54 holes. And finally, in September 2025, he also qualified for Team USA in the Ryder Cup. Thus, while he consistently put up good performances, this time around, Cantlay will be looking to break free and notch up a win in the American Express. Last year, Cantlay ended tied for fifth with a score of 20-under. His best performance in the tournament came back in 2021, when he ended second at 22-under.

4. Ryan Gerard

Gerard had quite an impressive season in 2025. Displaying some superb skills, he recorded four top 10s and a couple of top 5 finishes. He finished within the top 25 mark on ten occasions. Playing in the Travelers Championship and the U.S. Open, the 26-year-old finished T54 and T50, respectively. Gerard also had a sublime showing in the PGA Championship, where he ended up with a T8 finish.

And that’s not all; Gerard’s season also included a P2 in Mauritius to qualify for the Masters. Finally, he rounded off an impressive year with a solo second at the Waialae in his final couple of events of the year. Now, coming to his second start at the PGA WEST, Gerard will look to make the year big with a victory. Participating in 2025, Gerard finished T51 in The American Express.

3. Ben Griffin

Griffin had a breakout year in 2025. Showing his class on the fairway, the 29-year-old registered not one but three victories in the year. Partnering with Andrew Novak, Griffin clinched the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. This was a special occasion for Griffin as this was his maiden career PGA Tour title in his 90th start. Making his 94th career start, Griffin won the Charles Schwab Challenge.

With the victory, Griffin also got listed as only the fourth golfer since 1983 to eagle the first hole in the last round while ultimately ending up winning the tournament. Finally, closing in 9-under-63 while birdying two of the last three holes, Griffin clinched his third win at WWT Championship with a two-stroke victory over Sami Valimaki and Chad Ramey.

At the 2025 American Express, Ben Griffin finished tied for 7th alongside Camilo Villegas, Taylor Moore, and Max Greyserman. His final score stood at 19-under par (269 total). The tournament win was grabbed by Sepp Straka, who finished at 25-under par. Following the 2025 AmEx, Griffin’s career graph saw a rising curve as he currently stands at eighth position under OWGR. Now, after winning the World Wide Technology Championship, Griffin will look to continue his merry run further as he eyes the lucrative cash prize at The American Express.

2. Robert MacIntyre

MacIntyre had quite an eventful 2025. While he failed to register a victory, the Scottish golfer secured six top 10s, two top 5s, and eleven top 25 finishes. For the second time in his career, he qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs, finishing in a tie for no. 17.

He also advanced to the TOUR Championship for the second season in a row. One of the major highlights of MacIntyre’s career came when he finished as the U.S. Open runner-up. As he now steps into 2026, winning The American Express would surely be a nice way to kick things off.

Robert MacIntyre’s run at the American Express last year turned out to be disappointing as he did not finish in the top 70. He failed to appear on the official payout leaderboard for that year. Presently, however, he is ranked 7th in the Official World Golf Ranking and would be participating in the 2026 AmEx following a T4 finish at the 2026 Sony Open.

1. Scottie Scheffler 

Scheffler’s run last year was dominated by back-to-back victories, which earned him the Jack Nicklaus Award as the PGA Tour Player of the Year for the fourth consecutive time.  In 2025, he secured his third and fourth career majors at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. Alongside the majors’ victories, he emerged triumphant in four more PGA Tour events.

Although a hand injury derailed him at the end of 2024, which also delayed his season start, he did not take much time to announce his comeback by proving his mettle on the greens. It all happened while cutting ravioli with a wine glass during Christmas 2024. He suffered from a puncture wound to his right palm. Despite coming back from an injury, he made the cut in every event he set foot on in 2025.

The 2025 season also saw the 29-year-old man achieve some historic feats. Scheffler became the first player since Tiger Woods (in 2000) to lead the Tour in scoring average for all four individual rounds in a single season. Adding another feather to his cap, he joined two legends, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, as the only players to win four majors and 15+ PGA Tour titles by the age of 29.

However, last year Scottie Scheffler had to withdraw from the 2025 American Express and did not compete in the event. He originally planned to play but withdrew before the tournament, most probably because he was recovering from his hand injury. This year, as he gears up to tee off in the $9,200,000 event, he will likely look to make up for the missed opportunity by aiming for a triumphant run this season.