Scottie Scheffler will make his 2026 debut at the American Express Championship at the end of January.
Scottie Scheffler will tee off for the first time in 2026 at the PGA Tour’s American Express Championship, tournament organizers confirmed 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 events missing from Scheffler’s list of victories. After finishing third in 2020 followed by several top-25 finishes in recent years, he missed the 2025 tournament due to hand surgery. Competition will be strong this year, with players like last year’s winner Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin, and Robert MacIntyre poised to challenge the world number one.
This tournament is the second PGA Tour event of the year following next week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. The usual season opener, The Sentry, was canceled in October due to course conditions at water-scarce Kapalua.
Will Scottie Scheffler continue his outstanding season?
Scheffler aims to get off to a strong start at the American Express Championship to build on last year’s success. In 20 tournaments, he secured six wins, including two major titles at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. Additionally, he finished in the top 10 in 17 events and never outside the top 25, earning him PGA Tour Player of the Year honors for the fourth consecutive time.
With his two major wins in 2025, Scheffler has clear goals for 2026. Having already won the Masters in 2022 and 2024, the US Open remains the only major missing to complete his career Grand Slam. Scheffler will compete for the title there from June 18 to 21.