Best Bets at the 2022 Desert Classic (The American Express)

A couple of the best golfers in the world will make their return to the PGA Tour for The American Express this week. This will be Jon Rahm’s second event since the Ryder Cup in September, and the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world will look to pick up his first win after finishing runner-up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions two weeks ago. Patrick Cantlay will also be playing in his second event since the Ryder Cup, and he finished fourth at Kapalua. Every other golfer taking part in The American Express is at least a 20-1 underdog, so there is serious value in going against Rahm and Cantlay.

Event Details

Event: The American Express

Category: PGA Tour

Date: January 20-23, 2022

Location: La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, California

Past Winners

2021: Kim Si-woo -23

2020: Andrew Landry -26

2019: Adam Long -26

2018: Jon Rahm -22

2017: Hudson Swafford -20

Kim Si-Woo is the reigning champion at La Quinta. He beat Patrick Cantlay for the title by a single stroke last year, earning his third PGA Tour victory in the process. Kim Si-Woo became the first Korean to win this tournament with the victory, and he shot a 64 on Sunday to lock it up.

We have seen Jon Rahm reign supreme at The American Express in recent years too. Rahm won this tournament in a playoff against Andrew Landry in 2018, and he finished sixth the last time he played in the Desert Classic three years ago.

The Course

This is an interesting event in that there are three courses at La Quinta Country Club. The competitors will play one round on each of the three courses before the cut on Saturday evening, and the remaining golfers will play the Stadium Course on Sunday. There have only been changes to two of the 54 holes, so the players taking part in this tournament should have a lot of familiarity with La Quinta this weekend.

Best Bet to Win The American Express: Seamus Power +3300

The last few months have seen Seamus Power emerge as a real contender on the PGA Tour. Power has made the cut in six of his last seven events, and he has finished T15 in five of his last six tournaments. His only PGA Tour win came at the Barbasol Championship last season, but that consistency makes him a solid play at 33-1 against a field without many of the top names. Power finished T4 at The RSM Classic and T3 at the Sony Open last week in two of his last three events.

Value Play to Win The American Express: Kim Si-Woo +5000

Anytime the defending champion is 50-1 or more to win the event that they won last year, that’s an enticing play. Kim Si-Woo did not play well at last week’s Sony Open, but he did finish T25 in his previous two events. He wasn’t sharp here in either 2019 or 2020, but he finished T9 in his other appearance in 2016 and is still young at the age of 26.

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