Scottie Scheffler will compete at the American Express Championship at the end of January, marking his first start in 2026.
Scottie Scheffler will tee off for the first time in 2026 at the PGA Tour’s American Express Championship, tournament organizers confirmed Wednesday. The event will be held from January 22 to 25 in La Quinta, California, with a total purse of $9.2 million. Last year, Austrian Sepp Straka claimed the title.
Scheffler faces tough challenge in California
The American Express Championship is one of the few events missing from Scheffler’s victory record. After finishing third in 2020, he placed in the top 25 in recent years before missing the 2025 tournament due to a hand surgery. Competition this year is strong, with players like last year’s winner Sepp Straka, Ben Griffen, and Robert MacIntyre expected to challenge the world number one.
This 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 at drought-affected Kapalua.
Will Scheffler continue his outstanding season?
Scottie Scheffler aims to start the new season strongly 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. He also finished in the top 10 in 17 of 20 events and never placed outside the top 25. These performances earned him PGA Tour Player of the Year for the fourth consecutive time.
With two major titles in 2025, Scheffler has a clear goal for 2026. After winning the Masters in 2022 and 2024, the US golfer now needs only the US Open to complete his career Grand Slam. He will compete for that title from June 18 to 21.