Scottie Scheffler will participate in the American Express Championship at the end of January, marking his debut in 2026.
Scottie Scheffler will compete 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 prize fund of $9,200,000. 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 list of wins. After finishing third in 2020, he placed in the top 25 in subsequent years before missing the 2025 event due to hand surgery. Competition this year is strong, with players such as last year’s winner Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin, and Robert MacIntyre eager to challenge the world number one.
This tournament is the second PGA Tour event of the year following the Sony Open in Hawaii. The usual season opener, The Sentry, was canceled in October due to course conditions at the drought-stricken Kapalua.
Will Scheffler Continue His Outstanding Season?
Scheffler aims to start the new season well at the American Express Championship, building on his successes from the previous year. In 20 events, he secured six wins, including two majors at the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. Additionally, he finished in the top 10 in 17 of those tournaments and did not place outside the top 25 in any. These achievements earned him the PGA Tour Player of the Year award for the fourth consecutive time.
With his two major titles in 2025, Scheffler now has a clear goal for 2026. Following his Masters wins in 2022 and 2024, the American still needs a U.S. Open victory to complete his career Grand Slam, which he will compete for from June 18 to 21.