The 2022 American Express tees off on Thursday morning at PGA West in La Quinta, California. It will be the 63rd edition of the former Bob Hope Classic.
The event’s headliners are world No. 1 Jon Rahm and 2021 PGA Tour Player of the Year Patrick Cantlay. Rahm is a former winner here, while Cantlay finished runner-up last season.
Note: Each week, we make our picks based on the odds offered by DraftKings Sportsbook. The picks we make MUST offer payouts of at least +200. (We are looking for the best return.)
The 2022 American Express
Top-5 Betting Favorites
Book Rank-Player (Odds)
1. Jon Rahm (6-1)
2. Patrick Cantlay (9-1)
3. Scottie Scheffler (20-1)
3. Sungjae Im (20-1)
3. Tony Finau (20-1)
3 Bets To Win
Outright Winner
Jon Rahm (+600) – After a two-edition layoff, the world No. 1 returns to La Quinta as the reigning U.S. Open champion. Rahm enters off a runner-up finish at Kapalua, where his final score of 33-under par was the second-best 72-hole total in PGA Tour history.
The 27-year-old Spaniard was first on tour last season in scoring average, birdie average, strokes gained: tee-to-green, and strokes gained: total.
He won The American Express in 2018 in a playoff against Andrew Landry, and then posted a T6 the following year.
Three other outright picks we like: Patrick Cantlay (+900), Scottie Scheffler (+2,000), Sungjae Im (+2,000)
Top-5 Finish
Patrick Reed (+650) – After battling an illness late last season, the former Masters Champ seems to be rounding into form in 2022, posting two top-3 finishes in the wrap-around portion of the season.
In his most recent start, he opened the Sentry Tournament of Champions with a 1-over 74, but was much better the rest of the way, shooting 64-68-66 to post a respectable T15.
Three other top-5 picks we like: Corey Conners (+400), Abraham Ancer (+450), Si Woo Kim (+1,000)
Top-10 Finish
Seamus Power (+500) – The newest member of the OWGR’s top 50 is Seamus Power. At No. 49, he sits just one spot behind fellow Irish countryman Shane Lowry. Power has been tremendous in the new season, finishing T15 or better in five of his last six starts, including a T3 at last week’s Sony Open in Hawaii.
If it seems like the 34-year-old has gotten hot before, it’s because the same thing happened in the latter portion of the 2021 season, when he reeled off six straight top-20s, starting in May, culminating with a win at the Barbasol Championship in July.
Three other top-10 picks we like: Justin Rose (+800), Rickie Fowler (+1,000), Gary Woodland (+1,600)
Odds To Win: 2022 Amex
PGA West Stadium | La Quinta, CA | Jan 20-23, 2022
Joel Cook contributed to this report.
