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Tom Kim has claimed the first spot in the PGA Tour's power rankings for the 2024 American Express. The third event of the season will be held from Thursday, January 18, to Sunday, January 21, at the PGA West Stadium, the PGA West Tournament Course, and the La Quinta Country Club of La Quinta, California.
The 156-player field of the American Express will feature 22 of the top 50 players in the OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking). Unlike the other events on the PGA Tour, the Desert Express will have a 54-hole cut instead of a 36-hole cut. The purse size of the event is $8.4 million, and the winner will receive a paycheck of $1,512,000.
See below for a look at the power rankings for the American Express 2024:
Power rankings for the American Express 2024
1) Tom Kim
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Tom Kim made his debut at La Quinta in 2021 and failed to make a cut. However, he did well in his second outing, as he finished T6 last year. This year, he's one of the players who will most likely do well.
Kim had a good 2022–23 season, as he claimed the Shriners Children Open twice and became the second golfer after Byron Nelson to win the same event twice in one season. He also became the youngest golfer in almost 110 years to successfully defend his title.
2) J.T. Poston
JT Poston has had a great run off late and has made seven top-ten finishes in his last 11 starts, including a sixth-place finish at the Sony Open last Sunday. He also has two top-ten finishes at the American Express, including a T6 finish last year.
3) Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele began his 2024 season with a T10 finish at the Kapalua. He skipped last week and now will be hoping to end his 18-month winning drought. He missed the cut in his first two appearances at La Quinta but had a T3 finish last season, which included a final round 62.
4) Justin Thomas
Justin Thomas will begin his 2024 season this week, after a horrible 2022–23 season. This will be his first appearance at the American Express since a T7 finish in 2015.
The good thing for Thomas is that he had a good fall season with three back-to-back top-5 finishes. He will be hoping to leave last year's nightmare behind and return to his best once again.
5. Patrick Cantlay
Similar to his friend Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay also took a week off after playing the Sentry 2024. He has a record for the lowest single-round score at the Stadium Course, one of the venues this week. He had carded 61 in the final round of the 2021 American Express and finished as a solo runner-up.
6. Scottie Scheffler (United States of America)
The World No. 1 golfer has secured several top-ten finishes over the last 12 months but has failed to convert them into wins, except in two starts. We can anticipate another top-ten performance from him, but whether he will overcome the final hurdle depends on his performance this week.
Scheffler has made four starts at La Quinta, achieving a T3 finish in his debut in 2020. Last year, he finished T11.
