Sport
The American Express preview: JT can cash in at the Amex
With two tournaments already done and dusted in 2025, the PGA Tour is really starting to take shape this season.
The players’ two-week stint in Hawaii is over as they hop across the Pacific ocean to La Quinta, California, where three courses await them.
Pete Dye’s PGA West Stadium Course, PGA West’s Nicklaus Tournament course, and La Quinta Country Club have made up the three-course rotation since 2016 and will do so again this year. They’re all par-72’s, with distances measuring 7,210 yards (Dye Stadium Course), 7,147 yards (Nicklaus Tournament Course), and 7,060 yards (La Quinta Country Club).
The varying elements at play here make it far harder to find a winner, but we went close to a T8 finish last week and hope to continue that steady upward trend with two selections this week.
Justin Thomas 12/1
With the majority of Europe’s best golfers plying their trade at the Dubai Desert Classic, this week’s largely American field is headed by Justin Thomas. At 12/1, Thomas is hardly a short-price favourite, but he certainly looks the class act in the field.
The past couple of seasons haven’t brought out the best in the 15-time PGA Tour and two-time PGA Championship winner, but there’s a feeling in the golfing world that he may be beginning to find his old spark. A T26 in his first outing this season may not have been the barnstorming start many had hoped for, but a 10-under-par final round certainly raised a few eyebrows.
His above average approach play and unmatched putting were key to that low-scoring last round and we’re hoping he can continue to build on that this week. His approach play was strong throughout, the highlight of which saw him rank second for strokes gained approaching the green in the first round.
Finishing in the 8 places available with William Hill would be a nice building block that Thomas wouldn’t turn his nose up at, but the real aim for him this season will surely be to get his hands on a 16th PGA Tour title, or maybe even a third Major.
Jhonattan Vegas 70/1
Target golf will be at the forefront once again this week in even more low-scoring fashion, as this pro-am event brings with it slightly easier conditions than normal to help those amateur players get around the course. With the weather conditions looking favourable, expect some seriously low scores this week.
One of the key components of scoring low is approach play, which will be at the centre of any success this week. This is where the man who has the most strokes gained approaching the green this year comes into play, Jhonattan Vegas.
The 70/1 about Vegas is almost baffling given how he has started the season and just how well this tournament should suit him. It took him no time at all to dust off any cobwebs, as he shot an impressive 25-under-par to secure fourth place at The Sentry.
He did that by gaining over 2.5 strokes on the rest of the Tour with his approach play, leaving him second for strokes gained from tee-to-green. His short game was not good enough to win the tournament, but that has become one of his known weaknesses, as he showed last season ranking 146th around the green and 151st on it.
While you do need a good putter to win tournaments, Vegas didn’t let his shortcomings in that department hold him back from claiming victory at the 3M Open last season. He’s already kicked off this season with a finish in the 8 places available with William Hill and at a big price we’re happy to side with him to do so again this week.
