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Today we look at the third PGA Tour event of 2024, the American Express, that opens the Californian Swing of the year.
Join us as we look for our top picks, with betting odds from the best sportsbooks.
Picks Summary
- Lee Hodges to Win Outright (+15000)
- Lee Hodges to Finish Top 10 (+1000)
- Harrison Endycott to Win Outright (+50000)
- Harrison Endycott to Finish in Top 10 (+2200)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
The American Express
January 18 – January 21, 2024 at PGA WEST
Format and Course Rotation
The event is played on a three-course rotation over the opening rounds, at PGA West Stadium Course, La Quinta Country Club and the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course. On the completion of the third round, the fourth and final round is played at PGA West, Stadium Course the hardest on the rotation usually by +2 circa shots per round.
Lee Hodges Could Be the Answer
This week’s puzzle of the American Express could have the answer starring us in the face, in Lee Hodges, the twenty-eight-year-old from Huntsville, Alabama who nearly won on debut here in 2022. That event saw Hodges as the 54-hole leader only to finish 3rd after a last-day charge from Hudson Swafford.
Swafford was winning the event for a second time and this event suits a certain sort of player who can go low, indeed there are numerous examples of multiple winners, as Jon Rahm and Billy Haas have also illustrated in recent years. Then there is the 2020 winner Andrew Landry, who was runner-up two years previous, while others like Adam Hadwin, David Lingmerth and Charley Hoffman, to name a few, have multiple top-3 finishes here.
Towards the end of last season, Hodges won his first PGA Tour title at the 3M Open with one of the most impressive displays of the year to win by seven shots. That win catapulted Hodges into the year-opening Sentry, where he was a little slow out of the blocks finishing close to last in the elite 59-player field. It was noticeable how he slowly improved as the week played out, likely due to shaking off the rust accumulated during the off-season.
The Sentry could be the perfect preparation for Lee Hodges as he attempts to go a couple of places better here than in 2002. The best price outright win we can see at sharp sportsbooks is (+15000) at Bet365.
Golf Pick: Lee Hodges to Win Outright (+15000) at Bet365
Golf Pick: Lee Hodges to Finish Top 10 (+1000) at Bet365
What Does It Take to Win the American Express?
Birdies, birdies, more birdies, and the odd eagle is the answer in one of the lowest-scoring weeks on the PGA Tour at resort-style tracks. With all four days’ weather looking settled, scoring will be easy, and with Bermuda grass greens again like the last two weeks, those on fire with the flatstick will have the strongest chances of continuing their good form.
Surprise Contender
Harrison Endycott has sneaked up the list of contenders for this week
By winning QSchool in December, twenty-seven-year-old Australian, Harrison Endycott has catapulted to near the top of our list of contenders for this week’s American Express.
Simply put, last year’s 22nd debut was one of his better efforts on the PGA Tour and now, with his tail up, he can start 2024 even better. That is something he has done previously in his career in 2018 and 2021, when on both occasions he started the calendar year with a top 5 finish, albeit in lower events.
I don’t know if trends are a thing, but another top 5 finish three years apart would be just what the doctor ordered for the young Aussie.
At Bet365 they have (+2200) about Harrison Endycott making a top 10 finish this week, and we suggest making that bet plus a more modest wager on the outright win market with Bet365 at (+50000).
Golf Pick: Harrison Endycott to Win Outright (+50000) at Bet365
Golf Pick: Harrison Endycott to Finish in Top 10 (+2200) at Bet365
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.