Scottie Scheffler will participate in the American Express Championship at the end of January, marking his 2026 season debut.
The American Express Championship of the PGA Tour will see Scottie Scheffler tee off for the first time in 2026, as confirmed by the tournament organizers on Wednesday. The event will take place from January 22 to 25 in La Quinta, California, offering a total purse of $9,200,000. Last year, Austrian Sepp Straka won the tournament.
Scheffler Faces Tough Challenge in California
The American Express Championship is one of the few tournaments that Scheffler has yet to win. After finishing third in 2020 and placing in the top 25 in subsequent years, he missed the 2025 event due to a hand surgery. This year, the competition is strong with players like last year’s winner Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin, and Robert MacIntyre challenging 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 affected by drought in Kapalua.
Will Scottie Scheffler Deliver Another Outstanding Season?
Scheffler will aim for a strong start at the American Express Championship to build on last year’s successes. In 20 tournaments, he won six times, including the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. He finished in the top 10 in 17 out of 20 events and never placed outside the top 25, earning him PGA Tour Player of the Year honors for the fourth consecutive time.
With two major titles won in 2025, Scheffler has a clear goal for 2026. Having claimed the Masters in 2022 and 2024, the American now needs only the U.S. Open to complete his Career Grand Slam. He will compete for that title from June 18 to 21.