After the Sony Open in Hawaii saw a payout of $8.3m, there’s an even larger prize fund on offer as the PGA Tour heads to California for The American Express.
A purse of $8.4m is available at the tournament that takes place across three courses - the Pete Dye Stadium Course, La Quinta Country Club and the Nicklaus Tournament Course. The winner is set to take home $1.512m, while the runner-up will earn $915,600.
That’s the same payout that was available for several tournaments last year, including the Honda Classic, Houston Open and RSM Classic and falls just $600,000 short of the $9m available at the DP World Tour’s first Rolex Series event of 2024, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
The purse also represents an increase of $400,000 from last year’s tournament, when Jon Rahm lifted the trophy and claimed $1.44m. This year’s fund is also $2.5m higher than the purse from just five years ago, highlighting the huge sums in the game since the emergence of the circuit Rahm has since signed for, LIV Golf.
As well as the attractive financial incentive, there are also 500 FedEx Cup points available to the winner, as well as world ranking points to play for.
Below is the prize money payout for The American Express.
The American Express Prize Money Payout 2024
Who Are The Star Names In The American Express?
The return of the PGA Tour to mainland US after two tournaments in Hawaii has attracted a strong field despite The American Express not being one of this year’s signature events.
The standout name is undoubtedly Scottie Scheffler, who is top of the world rankings. He makes his first start since finishing T5 at The Sentry, while two more players in the world’s top 10, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, also play. Cantlay, in particular, will be confident of success after he finished runner-up at the tournament in 2021.
Other big names to look out for include the winner at The Sentry, Chris Kirk, PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Eric Cole, former World No.1 Jason Day and Tony Finau, who dispelled speculation he would join Rahm as a LIV Golf player in a social media update before Christmas.
Seven-time PGA Tour winner Billy Horschel also plays, along with Rickie Fowler, who enjoyed a significant career resurgence in 2023, but missed the cut at The Sentry. He’ll be hoping to get firmly back on track here.
Team Europe Ryder Cup heroes Shane Lowry and Robert MacIntyre are also in the field, while Will Zalatoris competes too, as he continues his recovery from back surgery. The American missed the cut at the Sony Open and he will be looking to make it as far as the weekend.
Another player who has been beset by injury in recent times is Daniel Berger, but after 18 months out with a back injury, he makes his long-awaited return to action this week.
Rising star Akshay Bhatia, Min Woo Lee, who earned his PGA Tour card after a successful 2023 on the DP World Tour, and Team US Ryder Cup player Sam Burns, also play.
Elsewhere, former champions in the field include Si Woo Kim, Jason Duffner, Andrew Landry and Adam Long, while there are also appearances from Sony Open winner Grayson Murray, PGA Championship hero Michael Block and two-time PGA Champion Justin Thomas.
Who Won The American Express In 2023?
Last year, Jon Rahm followed up victory at the Sentry Tournament of Champions with another triumph at The American Express, when he beatt Davis Thompson by one shot to claim his second victory at the tournament. The Spaniard does not appear in this week’s field as he has since joined LIV Golf.
Who Is Playing At The 2024 American Express?
Despite the 2024 edition not being one of the PGA Tour’s signature events, there is still a strong field, including World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, and two others in the world’s top 10 – Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. Other big names appearing include Shane Lowry, Billy Horschel and Sam Burns.
