Scottie Scheffler will participate in the American Express Championship at the end of January, marking his 2026 season debut.
Scottie Scheffler is set to compete for the first time in 2026 at the PGA Tour’s American Express Championship, tournament organizers confirmed on Wednesday. The event will take place from January 22 to 25 in La Quinta, California, with a total purse of $9.2 million. Last year, Austrian Sepp Straka claimed the title.
Scheffler Faces Tough Challenge in California
The American Express Championship is one of the few tournaments missing from Scheffler’s victory list. After finishing third in 2020, he placed in the top 25 in subsequent years but missed the 2025 event due to hand surgery. This year’s competition is strong, featuring players like last year’s winner Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin, and Robert MacIntyre, who could all challenge the world number one.
Following next week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, this tournament is the second PGA Tour event of the year. The usual season opener, The Sentry, was canceled in October due to course conditions at the drought-affected Kapalua.
Will Scheffler Continue His Outstanding Form in 2026?
Scheffler aims for a strong start at the American Express Championship to build on his previous year’s successes. He won six of his 20 tournaments last season, including the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. Additionally, he finished in the top 10 in 17 out of 20 events and never placed outside the top 25. These achievements earned him the PGA Tour Player of the Year title for the fourth consecutive time.
With two major titles in 2025, Scheffler now has a clear goal for 2026. After winning the Masters in 2022 and 2024, the American star is targeting the US Open, scheduled for June 18 to 21, to complete his Career Grand Slam.