Scottie Scheffler will compete at the American Express Championship in late January, marking his first start of 2026.
Scottie Scheffler is set to make his 2026 debut at the American Express Championship of the PGA Tour, tournament organizers confirmed Wednesday. The event will take place from January 22 to 25 in La Quinta, California, with a total prize fund of $9.2 million. Last year, Austrian Sepp Straka claimed victory at the tournament.
Scheffler Faces Tough Challenge in California
The American Express Championship is one of the few tournaments still missing from Scheffler’s list of wins. After finishing third in 2020, he made several top 25 finishes in recent years, but missed the 2025 event due to a hand surgery. This year’s competition is strong, with players like last year’s winner Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin, and Robert MacIntyre among those who could challenge the world number one.
The tournament is the second PGA Tour event this year after next week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. The usual season opener, The Sentry, was canceled in October due to course conditions in drought-hit Kapalua.
Will Scottie Scheffler Deliver Another Outstanding Season?
Scheffler aims to start the new season well at the American Express Championship to build on his successes from last year. He won six times in 20 tournaments, including the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. Furthermore, he finished in the top 10 in 17 of his 20 starts and never finished outside the top 25. These feats earned him his fourth consecutive PGA Tour Player of the Year award.
With his two major wins in 2025, Scheffler now has a clear goal for 2026. Having won the Masters in 2022 and 2024, the American still needs the U.S. Open to complete his career Grand Slam. He will challenge for that title from June 18 to 21.