Power ranking PGA Tour opener at The American Express

Burns was the best putter on the PGA Tour last season, making him a great fit for a tournament that forces you to make a ton of mid-range putts to contend. The American finished T13 or better in each of his past four starts of 2025 and plans to kick off 2026 with a bang. 

7. Sepp Straka

The reigning American Express champion returns to La Quinta after outdueling Justin Thomas last year. Straka is coming off the best season of his PGA Tour career, and he finished solo third in his last start at the Hero World Challenge in December.

6. Russell Henley

Henley has been one of the most consistent performers on the PGA Tour over the past eight months. In his last nine starts, he has five top-10 finishes and hasn't finished worse than T21. There's a good chance Henley will be in the mix this week.

5. Robert MacIntyre

MacIntyre missed the cut at The American Express in his lone start here in 2024, but he's a much better player now. The Scottish lefty finished T4 at the Sony Open last week, giving him four top-10 finishes and a win in his past five starts leading in. 

4. Ben Griffin

Griffin is coming off a breakout 2025 campaign in which he won three times and finished 10th in the FedEx Cup standings. His combination of stellar iron play and putting makes him a great fit for this event.

3. Ludvig Aberg

Aberg is more of a question because he had a disappointing 2025 season and has played only three times on the DP World Tour since the Tour Championship. Still, he's the most talented player in this field not named Scheffler, and big things are expected from him in 2026.

2. Matt Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick is quietly one of the hottest golfers on the planet. He finished the 2025 PGA Tour season with four top-10s in his last six starts, and he kept that momentum rolling with three top-10s and a win on the DP World Tour in the offseason. 

The last time he teed it up in a tournament, Fitzpatrick beat Rory McIlroy in a playoff to win the DP World Tour Championship. 

1. Scottie Scheffler

Duh. Scheffler is the best player in the world by a wide margin, which is why he's a +300 betting favorite (FanDuel) to win The American Express. No one else in the field is lower than 22-1 on the odds board. 

If Scheffler brings his "A" game to La Quinta, he'll destroy this field.