Get ready, golf fans! The American Express tournament is back, and it's shaping up to be a must-watch event in the 2026 PGA TOUR season. Held at the picturesque PGA WEST, this tournament promises exciting competition and stunning scenery. This year's event marks the second tournament of the season.
The American Express stands out as one of only two FedExCup events that embrace the pro-am format, where amateurs get to play alongside the pros. It's also one of four tournaments played across multiple courses, adding another layer of challenge and intrigue.
But here's where it gets exciting: World No. 1 and four-time PGA TOUR Player of the Year, Scottie Scheffler, is scheduled to make his season debut, marking his sixth appearance at the event.
So, how does the PGA TOUR decide who gets to tee off? The system is pretty straightforward. They use a standardized system based on the current season's Priority Ranking, along with additional exemptions and qualifying categories.
Field sizes can vary, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry, while others are subject to reshuffles based on their FedExCup Points throughout the season.
Important Note: Some categories received an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Let's take a look at the players who have secured their spots in La Quinta:
- Winners of THE PLAYERS Championship (five-year exemption): Scottie Scheffler
- Winners of U.S. Open Championship (five-year exemption): Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick
- Winners of The Open Championship (five-year exemption): Brian Harman
- Winners of World Golf Championship event (three-year exemption): Sam Burns
- Winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, The Genesis Invitational (three-year exemption): Russell Henley, Kurt Kitayama, Ludvig Åberg
- Winner of the FedExCup (five-year exemption): Patrick Cantlay
- Member of last named U.S. Ryder Cup team: Harris English, Ben Griffin
- Member of last named European Ryder Cup team: Rasmus Højgaard, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, Sepp Straka
- Member of last named U.S. Presidents Cup team: Tony Finau, Max Homa, Sahith Theegala
- Member of last named International Presidents Cup Team: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Jason Day, Mackenzie Hughes, Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee, Taylor Pendrith, Adam Scott
- Past champion of The American Express: Jason Dufner, Nick Dunlap, Andrew Landry, Adam Long
- PGA section champion: Michael Block
- Tournament winner in past two seasons: Akshay Bhatia, Michael Brennan, Brian Campbell, Rafael Campos, Cam Davis, Nico Echavarria, Austin Eckroat, Steven Fisk, Ryan Gerard, Harry Hall, Joe Highsmith, Stephan Jaeger, Chris Kirk, Matt McCarty, William Mouw, Andrew Novak, J.T. Poston, Aldrich Potgieter, Davis Riley, Adam Schenk, Nick Taylor, Davis Thompson, Sami Valimaki, Jhonattan Vegas, Karl Vilips, Kevin Yu, Brice Garnett, Billy Horschel, Patton Kizzire, Peter Malnati, Matthieu Pavon
- Top 70 on prior season's FedExCup Points List: Jacob Bridgeman, Sam Stevens, Daniel Berger, Denny McCarthy, Michael Kim, Bud Cauley, Tom Hoge, Rickie Fowler, Max Greyserman, Patrick Rodgers, Matti Schmid, Emiliano Grillo, Erik van Rooyen
- Top 100 on prior season's FedExCup Fall Points List: Rico Hoey, Max McGreevy, Michael Thorbjornsen, Alex Smalley, Vince Whaley, Eric Cole, Keith Mitchell, Mac Meissner, Gary Woodland, Kevin Roy, Mark Hubbard, Chad Ramey, Chandler Phillips, Ryo Hisatsune, Danny Walker, Takumi Kanaya
- Leading 10 players (not otherwise exempt) on DP World Tour: Adrien Saddier, Alex Noren, John Parry, Haotong Li, Keita Nakajima, Jordan Smith, Dan Brown
- Top 20 on prior season's Korn Ferry Tour Points List: Johnny Keefer, Chandler Blanchet, Austin Smotherman, Neal Shipley, Emilio Gonzalez, Hank Lebioda, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, S.H. Kim, Christo Lamprecht, Davis Chatfield, Zach Bauchou, Pierceson Coody, S.T. Lee, Jeffrey Kang, Kensei Hirata, John VanDerLaan, Zecheng Dou, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Pontus Nyholm
- Top five from PGA TOUR Q-School: A.J. Ewart, Alejandro Tosti, Adam Svensson, Marcelo Rozo, Dylan Wu
- PGA TOUR University: Luke Clanton, Gordon Sargent, David Ford
- Nos. 101-110 on prior season's FedExCup Fall Points List: Lee Hodges, Ricky Castillo, Matt Wallace, Beau Hossler, Isaiah Salinda, David Lipsky, Patrick Fishburn
- Major medical extension: Will Zalatoris, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Streelman, Jimmy Stanger
- Nos. 111-125 on prior season's FedExCup Fall Points List: Jesper Svensson, Doug Ghim, Andrew Putnam, Kris Ventura, Seamus Power, Matt Kuchar, Justin Lower, Taylor Moore, Joel Dahmen, Sam Ryder, Jackson Suber, Lanto Griffin
- Nos. 125-150 on prior season's FedExCup Fall Points List: Brandt Snedeker, Frankie Capan III, Carson Young, Chan Kim
A lot of big names, right? The field is packed with talent, and it's sure to be an exciting tournament.
What do you think? Will Scheffler dominate, or will a dark horse emerge? Who are you rooting for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
