The American Express Golf Tips and Preview

The American Express, as it known this year but more commonly known as the Desert Classic, has a history of throwing up bigger priced winners and that is where we are looking for our selections for the event.

With recent winners including Mark Wilson, Brian Gay, Hudson Swafford and last year’s champion Adam Long, it is safe to say that looking for an each-way selection is the play for The American Express.

It is played across the PGA West Stadium Course, PGA West Course and La Quinta Country Club, with Rickie Fowler favourite for what is his first appearance in the tournament since 2014. As mentioned, I’m keen to take on those at the top of the betting markets and that includes Fowler.

Brendan Steele suffered heartache when losing a two-shot lead with two holes to play in last week’s Sony Open before losing a play-off with Cameron Smith. He will need to bounce back from that disappointment but he’s a $71 shot that I want to be with this week.

Steele is a former runner-up having finished in tied 2nd behind Bill Haas in 2015. Since then he’s put up solid efforts in the event with T34, T6 and T20 before last year’s 57th place finish. With two top-tens, he is definitely worth backing each-way given the golf he played for most of the Sony Open.

Nate Lashley is even bigger at $111 and he could be in for a big week in La Quinta. He has played in the event twice before, finishing 29th on debut in 2018 and 12th last year and I’m expecting more to come.

Lashley has played in both PGA Tour events since the turn of the new year – the Tournament of Champions where he was 19th and the Sony Open where he ended in a share of 53rd place. The cobwebs might well have been dusted off now and he is a big price.