Playing Through: The American Express Preview, TGL Week 5 Recap, and WTGL Announces First Players
Welcome to Playing Through, your weekly guide to the world of professional golf. I’m Brendon Elliott, PGA Professional. The PGA TOUR heads to the California desert for The American Express; the New York Golf Club finally got its first TGL win; and the new WTGL announced its first five committed players. Let’s get into it.
PGA TOUR: THE AMERICAN EXPRESS PREVIEW
The PGA TOUR makes its 2026 mainland debut this week in the Coachella Valley for the 67th playing of The American Express in La Quinta, California.
This isn’t just another tournament. It’s the return of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who missed last year’s event due to that infamous Christmas ravioli incident that injured his right hand. The reigning four-time PGA TOUR Player of the Year is back, and he’s the favorite to win.
Scheffler leads a field of 156 players that includes 13 of the top 30 in the Official World Golf Ranking. After dominating 2025 with six wins and finishing inside the top 25 in all 20 starts, he’s ready to kick off his season on three of the easiest tracks the TOUR visits annually.
The Multi-Course Format
The American Express is one of four PGA TOUR events played across multiple courses, and the only one using three different venues. Players rotate through the first three rounds between Pete Dye’s Stadium Course at PGA WEST (7,210 yards), the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA WEST (7,147 yards), and La Quinta Country Club (7,060 yards). Each professional is grouped with amateurs for those first three rounds.
After 54 holes, the low 65 professionals and ties advance to play the final round at the Stadium Course without amateurs.
The winning score has never dipped below 20-under par at this event. The triumvirate of par-72 tracks yields some of the lowest scoring averages in relation to par of all courses the TOUR visits. Translation: you need to go low, and you need to go low early.
The Stadium Course underwent a recent renovation that has set it apart from its co-hosts. In ideal conditions last year, it played to a 71.348 scoring average, more than two strokes harder than the Nicklaus Tournament Course (68.248) and La Quinta (68.595).
The weather should be Chamber of Commerce perfect. Expect mid-70s temperatures with minimal wind for most of the week, though a potential weather pattern could bring some breeze later. All three courses are overseeded, and greens should run about 11-12 feet on the Stimpmeter.
The Favorites (Beyond Scheffler)
Ben Griffin finished T19 at the Sony Open after opening with a bogey-free 63, but a quiet weekend with the irons and putter saw him drift. Griffin is hunting his third consecutive top-10 at The American Express after finishes of T9 and T7 the last two years. He ranked third in birdies and 10th in eagles in 2025, exactly what you need in a shootout.
Patrick Cantlay is the ultimate horse for this course. He’s posted four top-10 results in six trips to PGA WEST, including a course-record 61 in 2021 when he fell one shot short of forcing a playoff. The SoCal native hasn’t missed the final Sunday round in his previous six visits.
Sepp Straka is the defending champion and will attempt to join Johnny Miller as the only players to win this event in back-to-back years. Miller did it in 1974-75, marking the 50th anniversary this week. On his way to victory last year, he played the Stadium Course 10-under par, including a round of 64 that equaled the best of the week.
The field also includes eight past champions and nine players who finished in the top 10 at last week’s Sony Open.
Aon Swing 5 Update
The American Express is the second opportunity for players to earn FedExCup points toward the Aon Swing 5. The top five players, not otherwise exempt, who earn the most FedExCup points during the Sony Open, The American Express, Farmers Insurance Open, and WM Phoenix Open will qualify for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational.
Patrick Rodgers leads the standings with 190 points, followed by Lee Hodges and Davis Riley (86 points each).
The winner this week receives 500 FedExCup points, a membership exemption through at least 2028, spots in the Masters, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the PGA Championship, and guaranteed entry into all eight Signature Events.
TGL: LOS ANGELES GOLF CLUB CAPTURES FIRST WIN
Los Angeles Golf Club scored its first victory of the season Tuesday night at SoFi Center, defeating Jupiter Links Golf Club 8-4 behind Justin Rose’s historic albatross and clutch play down the stretch.
Rose delivered the shot of the night and perhaps the season when he holed out from 227 yards with a 4-iron on the par-5 “Sterling” in singles for TGL’s first-ever albatross. It was also the first albatross of Rose’s career. He crouched down and shot both arms up in celebration as the SoFi Center crowd erupted.
Los Angeles took an early 2-0 lead with smart Hammer strategy, then extended it to 4-1 after triples. Rose’s albatross made it 5-1, but Jupiter, with Tiger Woods in a non-playing role, fought back late. Max Homa made birdie with the Hammer at No. 13 to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Collin Morikawa sealed the match with a clutch 17-foot birdie putt at No.14, capping a night where LA’s superior Hammer strategy proved to be the difference.
Los Angeles improves to 1-1-0 and gets back in the playoff picture, while Jupiter drops to 0-2 on the season, extending its losing streak to five matches dating back to last season.
LPGA: WTGL ANNOUNCES FIRST FIVE PLAYERS
TMRW Sports announced Monday the first group of committed LPGA players for WTGL, a new platform for team golf in partnership with the LPGA.
The global group includes world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul from Thailand, surging English star Charley Hull, New Zealand’s three-time Olympic medalist Lydia Ko, Canada’s winningest golfer Brooke Henderson, and seven-time U.S. Solheim Cup team member Lexi Thompson.
“WTGL will be a global stage to showcase LPGA stars, and this first wave of committed players represents that opportunity with some of the world’s best,” said Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports. “These players will thrive in WTGL’s competitive environment as fans will witness their skill and connect more deeply with their personalities through the unprecedented access the league delivers with every player mic’d in the modern match play team format.”
Thitikul is the reigning Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy winner with seven LPGA victories, including back-to-back wins at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. She’s been world No. 1 since August 2025.
Hull brings three LPGA victories and a strong international resume as a seven-time European Solheim Cup team member. Ko is an LPGA Hall of Famer with 23 victories, three majors, and three Olympic medals, spanning gold in 2024, bronze in 2020, and silver in 2016. Henderson has 14 LPGA victories, including two majors, making her Canada’s winningest golfer, while Thompson has 11 LPGA victories, one major, and seven Solheim Cup appearances representing the United States.
WTGL represents an exciting expansion of the TGL concept to women’s professional golf, giving LPGA stars a platform to showcase their skills in a modern, team-based format with unprecedented fan access.
PGA OF AMERICA: 2026 NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS
The PGA of America announced its 2026 National Award Recipients at the 73rd PGA Show in Orlando this week, headlined by PGA Master Professional Brian Crowell, who was named Golf Professional of the Year. Crowell brought the APGA Tour to the Bronx for the first time in 2024 and again in 2025, and founded the Stewart Crowell Foundation, which has awarded nearly $40,000 in scholarships. Other award winners include Bernie Najar (PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year), Sean Palmer (Golf Executive of the Year), Robin Shelton (Professional Development Award), and Carl Alexander (Bill Strausbaugh Award). In total, 13 National Award winners were named.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACK NICKLAUS
Jack Nicklaus turns 86 today. 86 years of living, 18 major championships, 73 PGA Tour victories, and a lifetime of making the impossible look routine. Those 18 majors remain the standard by which all others are measured. Tiger Woods sits at 15, and we’ve spent the last decade wondering if he’ll catch Jack. Nicklaus won the Masters six times, the PGA Championship five times, the U.S. Open four times, and The Open Championship three times. That 1986 Masters victory at age 46 remains one of sport’s most improbable triumphs, shooting 30 on the back nine on Sunday with that iconic putter raise on 17. At 86, Jack has nothing left to prove. The point has always been to do things the right way and leave the game better than he found it.
The American Express kicks off in the California desert. New York finally got their first TGL win. WTGL announced its first five players. Brian Crowell leads the 2026 PGA of America National Award class. And the Golden Bear turns 86.
The 2026 season is rolling.
We’ll be back next week.