The PGA Tour heads back to the continental United States for the third event of the year, the 2025 American Express. The tour will be teeing off at three different courses, including the PGA West Stadium Course, the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course, and the La Quinta Country Club in California.
The 2025 American Express field will feature four top 20 golfers on the Official Golf World Ranking, including Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, and Sungjae Im, Sam Burns. Despite being outside the top 20, Justin Thomas has the best odds to win the Desert Classic at +1400, according to BetOnline.
Scroll below to get the best 2025 American Express odds, expert picks, and best bets.
The American Express 2025 Odds
Originally, world No.2 Xander Schauffele was the overwhelming favorite to win the American Express at +700 but he withdrew from the event on Monday. Suddenly, Justin Thomas now finds himself as the favorite at +1400 with a slight edge over Sungjae Im at +1500.
Also in the field will be the 2024 American Express winner Nick Dunlap, who will look to defend his title after winning the event as an amateur. Dunlap was the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson. All eyes will be on the 21-year-old, who will look to make more magic in La Quinta, California.
Patrick Cantlay (+1600), Sam Burns (+1800), Tom Kim (+2500) and Tony Finau (+2500) round out the top contenders to win the American Express.
Here are the American Express 2025 odds for the top 50 players on the board.
| Player | Odds |
| Justin Thomas | +1400 |
| Sungjae Im | +1500 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +1600 |
| Sam Burns | +1800 |
| Tony Finau | +2500 |
| Tom Kim | +2500 |
| Wyndham Clark | +2800 |
| Kurt Kitayama | +2800 |
| Max Greyserman | +3500 |
| Davis Thompson | +3500 |
| Si Woo Kim | +4500 |
| Cameron Young | +4500 |
| Harry Hall | +5000 |
| Brian Harman | +5000 |
| Will Zalatoris | +5000 |
| Nick Dunlap | +5000 |
| Eric Cole | +5000 |
| Ben Griffin | +5000 |
| J.J Spaun | +6000 |
| Tom Hoge | +6000 |
| J.T. Poston | +6000 |
| Patrick Fishburn | +6000 |
| Nico Echavarria | +6000 |
| Sepp Straka | +6000 |
| Adam Hadwin | +6000 |
| Cam Davis | +7000 |
| Christiaan Bezuidenhout | +7000 |
| Keith Mitchell | +7000 |
| Michael Thorbjornsen | +7500 |
| Jason Day | +8000 |
| Nick Taylor | +8000 |
| Lee Hodges | +8000 |
| Andrew Novak | +8000 |
| Mac Meissner | +8000 |
| Michael Kim | +8000 |
| Jhonattan Vegas | +8500 |
| Doug Ghim | +9000 |
| Kevin Yu | +9000 |
| Daniel Berger | +9000 |
| Chan Kim | +9000 |
| Beau Hossler | +10000 |
| Lucas Glover | +10000 |
| Rickie Fowler | +10000 |
| Erik Van Rooyen | +10000 |
| Patrick Rodgers | +11000 |
| Alex Smalley | +11000 |
| Chris Kirk | +11000 |
| Adam Svensson | +11000 |
| Rico Hoey | +11000 |
| Sam Stevens | +11000 |
Note: American Express odds accurate as of Jan. 14, 2024
American Express 2025 Predictions
Here are our American Express 2025 predictions and the best bets to win the tournament.
- Justin Thomas (+1400)
- Sam Burns (+1800)
- Eric Cole (+5000)
Justin Thomas (+1400)
Justin Thomas has been playing some great golf over the last few months. He finished 2nd at the ZOZO Championship and third place at the Hero World Challenge at the end of the year. After finishing T-26 at the Sentry, Thomas is gearing up to break his win drought. He has two top-five finishes in the last five appearances. Of his last five appearances, Thomas has finished within three shots of the leader once or had a better-than-average score four times.
He finished T-3 last year and holds the best record on the course with a record-tying 61 in the third round at the Pete Dye Stadium.
Sam Burns (+1800)
Burns has found great success at the American Express throughout his career. He’s been inside the top 18 in five of his last six appearances. After a strong start to the 2025 PGA Tour season at the Sentry with a T-8 finish, Burns is poised for another good finish at PGA West.
Burns is one of four golfers in the top 20 on the Official World Rankings in the field, giving him an automatic edge. He finished T-6 here last year and was in a spot to win before having a breakdown in the final two holes.
His game has been strong in the last year, posting nine top-14 finishes in 11 starts since the RBC Canadian Open in June. He had a compelling run at the FedEx Cup Playoffs with two top-5 finishes. With a strong course history and his form, Burns will be the one to watch this weekend in La Quinta.
Eric Cole (+5000)
Coming off a solo-fifth place finish at the Sony Open, Eric Cole is a strong pick this weekend at the American Express. He’s had a strong start to the season, coming off a successful run in Hawaii, gaining +1.3 strokes in both putting and his approach play.
Despite struggling with his driver, Cole is a good fit this weekend at the PGA West. The American Express plays across three courses, so putting and strong iron play is essential and that’s where Cole excels. Cole has also succeeded in La Quinta, finishing T21 last year at the American Express.
American Express 2025 Best Bets
- Justin Thomas (+110) vs. Sungjae Im
- Sam Burns Top-10 (+200)
- Eric Cole Top-20 (+200)
