Scottie Scheffler will participate in the American Express Championship in late January, marking his 2026 season debut.
Scottie Scheffler will tee off for the first time in 2026 at the PGA Tour’s American Express Championship, tournament organizers confirmed on Wednesday. The event is set to take place from January 22 to 25 in La Quinta, California, with a total purse of $9,200,000. Last year, Austrian Sepp Straka claimed the championship.
Scheffler Faces Challenging Task in California
The American Express Championship is one of the few titles still missing from Scheffler’s victory record. After finishing third in 2020 and securing top-25 placements in subsequent years, he missed the 2025 tournament due to hand surgery. However, the competition this year is strong, with players like last year’s winner Sepp Straka, Ben Griffen, and Robert MacIntyre ready to challenge the world number one.
This tournament is the second PGA Tour event of the year after next week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. The usual season opener, The Sentry, was canceled in October due to course conditions at drought-affected Kapalua.
Will Scottie Scheffler Continue His Outstanding Streak?
Scheffler aims to start the new season strong at the American Express Championship, building on his successful previous year. In 20 tournaments, he secured six wins, including the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. Additionally, he finished in the top 10 in 17 of 20 appearances and never outside the top 25. These results earned him the PGA Tour Player of the Year title for the fourth consecutive time.
With his two major titles in 2025, Scheffler now has a clear target for 2026. After his Masters victories in 2022 and 2024, the American is looking to complete his Career Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open, where he will compete from June 18 to 21.