Scottie Scheffler will participate in the American Express Championship at the end of January, marking his 2026 debut.
Scottie Scheffler is set to make his first start of 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 tournament title.
Scheffler Faces a Tough Challenge in California
The American Express Championship is one of the few tournaments missing from Scheffler’s list of victories. After finishing third in 2020 and placing within the top 25 in subsequent years, he missed the 2025 tournament due to a hand surgery. This year’s competition will be fierce, with players like last year’s winner Sepp Straka, Ben Griffen, and Robert MacIntyre among those who could challenge the world number one.
The 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 in the drought-affected Kapalua.
Will Scottie Scheffler Continue His Remarkable Run?
For Scheffler, the American Express Championship is an opportunity to start the new season strongly and build on his successes from the previous year. In 20 events in 2025, he secured six wins, including major titles at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. He also finished within the top 10 in 17 of those appearances and never placed outside the top 25. These accomplishments earned him the PGA Tour Player of the Year award for the fourth consecutive time.
Having captured two major titles in 2025, Scheffler now has a clear goal for 2026. After winning the Masters in 2022 and 2024, the American is aiming to complete his Career Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open, scheduled from June 18 to 21, 2026.