(Photo credit score: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images)
After two weeks in Hawaii, the PGA Tour is on the mainland for the primary time this 12 months as The American Express tees off Thursday in La Quinta, Calif.
It’s additionally the primary of a number of occasions on tour that make the most of a number of programs — on this case, three.
The distinctive setup sees gamers play one spherical apiece on the Pete Dye Stadium Course and Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West in addition to one at La Quinta Country Club, all of them par-72 layouts. The Pete Dye Stadium Course hosts the ultimate spherical following a 54-hole minimize to the highest 65 and ties.
“Although the courses are different … they all have the same general idea, that you need to make a lot of birdies and you need to be aggressive,” Justin Thomas mentioned Tuesday. “They’re very scorable, so I take the identical mindset into the entire programs.
“It’s an offense week, not defense.”
Nick Dunlap needed to study three programs on the fly when he performed The American Express as an beginner final 12 months. Powered by a third-round 60 at La Quinta Country Club, Dunlap went on to develop into the primary beginner to win on tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
A member of the University of Alabama golf group on the time, Dunlap quickly turned professional, received a second occasion in July and acquired PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors.
Dunlap, 21, is again on the town to defend his title and he is nonetheless getting used to life within the quick lane on tour.
“I would say, you know, my life got sped up a little bit, and in a good way,” Dunlap mentioned. “Like I said, I’m out here, I’m living my dream, and wouldn’t change it for anything, but that it all doesn’t just happen easy or smoothly. I would say there’s definitely some bumps and humps in the road that you got to navigate.”
As Thomas mentioned, birdies are the secret on the event previously often called the Bob Hope Classic. The profitable rating has been no worse than 20-under-par 268 for the reason that event deserted its earlier five-round format after 2011. Dunlap’s 29-under 259 final 12 months set the event 72-hole scoring document.
Wyndham Clark (No. 7) is certainly one of eight gamers within the subject ranked within the high 25 within the Official World Golf Ranking.
Last week’s winner on the Sony Open in Hawaii, Nick Taylor of Canada, can also be within the subject. Taylor now has 5 PGA Tour victories to his title, three prior to now three years through playoffs.
Tony Finau, who needed to shrug off LIV Golf rumors for the second straight offseason, is enjoying this week regardless of a nagging knee difficulty that has him lower than one hundred pc. Finau didn’t win a event in 2024 after claiming 4 trophies throughout 2022-23.
“There’s always some nagging injury, it seems like, for everybody,” Finau mentioned. “Coming off this injury, I feel really good. I had a nice start, I feel like, at The Sentry with how my body felt and how my game felt, and I’m looking forward to just building on that this week.”
This week may also mark the skilled debut of 17-year-old Blades Brown. As an beginner final season, he made the minimize on the Myrtle Beach Classic and completed T26. The younger prospect selected to show professional this offseason somewhat than pursue a university golf scholarship.
“This is going to be a process, and in processes there are hills and valleys,” Brown mentioned. “And I’m lucky enough to where I have an awesome team around me supporting me, and I’m just super excited to go through this journey along with them. Whatever happens is going to happen.”
–Field Level Media