PGA hits West Coast; LPGA, Champions kick off ’24

The PGA Tour arrives on the West Coast this week while the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions begin their seasons.

PGA TOUR

LAST TOURNAMENT: Sony Open in Hawaii (Grayson Murray)

THIS WEEK: The American Express, La Quinta, Calif., Jan. 18-21

Host course: PGA West, Pete Dye Stadium Course (Par 72, 7,187 yards). Other courses: PGA West, Nicklaus Tournament Course; La Quinta Country Club

Purse: $8.4M (Winner: $1,512,000)

Reigning champion: Jon Rahm

FedEx Cup leader: Chris Kirk

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Streaming: Thursday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

X: @TheAmExGolf

NOTES: This is the first of the five-event “West Coast Swing.” It is one of only two events that uses a pro-am format (AT&T Pebble Beach) and one of only four that utilizes multiple courses. … Rahm will not defend his title after signing with LIV Golf last month, but the field does include 21 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. … Former U.S. Ryder Cup player Daniel Berger will make his first PGA Tour start since the 2022 U.S. Open as he returns from a back injury. Ranked No. 25 in the world at the time, Berger enters this week at No. 664. The four-time PGA Tour winner is exempt through 2024 via his win at the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. … Bill Haas, champion in 2010 and 2015, is making his 20th consecutive event start, the longest active streak in the field. … Since the tournament went to a 72-hole format in 2012, Patrick Reed’s 28-under-par 260 in 2014 is the scoring record.

BEST BETS: Scottie Scheffler (+550 at BetMGM) makes his fifth consecutive start in the event. He finished solo third in 2020 and T11 last year. … Patrick Cantlay (+1000) has three top-10s in five previous event starts, and he carded a final-round 61 while finishing second three years ago. … Xander Schauffele (+1100) is coming off a T10 at The Sentry, and he tied for third at the AmEx last year. … Tom Kim (+2500) finished T6 last year. He began 2024 with a T45 at The Sentry after closing out last year with a win at the Shriners and a T15 at the DP World Tour Championship … Chris Kirk (+4000) is one of 15 players making their third consecutive start to begin 2024. He backed up his win at The Sentry with a T18 last week.

NEXT TOURNAMENT: Farmers Insurance Open, San Diego, Jan. 24-27

LPGA Tour

LAST TOURNAMENT: CME Group Tour Championship (Amy Yang)

THIS WEEK: Tournament of Champions, Orlando, Jan. 18-21

Course: Lake Nona Golf & Country Club (Par 72, 6,608 yards)

Purse: $1.5M (Winner: $225,000); Celebrities/Amateurs: $500,000 (Winner: $100,000)

Defending champion: Brooke Henderson (pro); Mardy Fish (celebrity)

Race to the CME Globe leader: first event

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday, 1-4 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 2-3 p.m. (GC), 3-5 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (GC)

Streaming (Peacock): During all televised windows.

X: @HiltonGrandVac

NOTES: This is the first of 33 events to be held in 10 countries and 15 states in 2024. … The no-cut pro-am event features 35 professionals competing in a 72-hole stroke-play tournament, while 46 celebrities and amateurs compete over 72 holes in a Modified Stableford scoring format. Players earn 10 points for a double eagle, five points for an eagle, three for a birdie, two for a par and one for a bogey. A double bogey docks 10 points from a player’s score, while a hole-in-one earns eight points. … World No. 1 Lilia Vu is joined in the field by No. 2 Ruoning Yin, No. 5 Nelly Korda and No. 8 Charley Hull. … Jessica Korda and Danielle Kang share the tournament score record of 260 that they both posted in 2021, with Korda going on to win in a playoff.

NEXT TOURNAMENT: LPGA Drive On Championship, Bradenton, Fla., Jan. 25-28

PGA Tour Champions

LAST TOURNAMENT: Charles Schwab Cup Championship (Steven Alker)

THIS WEEK: Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii, Jan. 18-20

Course: Hualalai GC (Par 72, 7,107 yards)

Purse: $2M (Winner: $340,000)

Defending champion: Steve Stricker

Charles Schwab Cup leader: first event

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Saturday, 7-10 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Twitter: @MEC_Golf

NOTES: This 54-hole event is the first of 28 tournaments in 2024, culminating with the Charles Schwab Cup champion in Phoenix in November. … Stricker, now 56, set the single-season records for scoring average (67.54) and money earned ($3,986,063) while winning three majors and six tournaments overall last year. … Bernhard Langer is the winningest player in Champions tour history with 46 victories. He is joined in the field by fellow three-time event champion Miguel Angel Jimenez. … Stewart Cink, who competed in four events last year, is considered a rookie on tour in 2024 and will make his first start at Hualalai. Other rookies who will turn 50 this year include four-time PGA Tour winners Heath Slocum (Feb. 2) and Chad Campbell (May 31).

NEXT TOURNAMENT: Chubb Classic, Naples, Fla. 16-18

LIV Golf League

THIS WEEK: Off

Series Winners: Talor Gooch (Individual), Crushers GC (Team)

NEXT TOURNAMENT: Mayakoba, Mexico, Feb. 2-4

—Field Level Media