Steve Palmer's American Express preview, best bets, free golf tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for The American Express at La Quinta on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 4.30pm Thursday

Best bets

Sungjae Im
3pts each-way 18-1 Sky Bet
Back this tip with Coral
Abraham Ancer
2pts each-way 40-1 Betfair, Paddy Power
Back this tip with Paddy Power
Maverick McNealy
1pt each-way 200-1Betfair, Paddy Power
Back this tip with Paddy Power
Aaron Wise
1pt each-way 90-1 Betfair, Paddy Power
Back this tip with Paddy Power

Rickie Fowler has not competed in the Coachella Valley since finishing 33rd in the 2014 Humana Challenge, so The American Express favourite has no experience of two of the three courses being used this week. He has played only La Quinta CC, which stages one of the four AmEx rounds.

The Florida-based Californian is obviously good enough to overcome that handicap and he followed up an unbeaten Presidents Cup campaign with fifth spot in the Sentry Tournament of Champions, but the odds look cramped about a player who has never won a PGA Tour event on the West Coast.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Sungjae Im 18-1

Opportunity knocks again for Korean starlet Sungjae Im, who should take advantage if Fowler fails to live up to his billing. Im has been threatening a PGA Tour breakthrough for 15 months and can finally come crashing into the winner's enclosure on Sunday.

After two Korn Ferry Tour triumphs in 2018, Im quickly proved he had what it takes to survive on the PGA Tour, finishing fourth in the Safeway Open in his first start. That bold effort came in California when he was world number 97 and he has returned to the Golden State this week as number 35 and rising.

A debut in this event last year – when it was called the Desert Classic – yielded a share of 12th place for a youngster who has become one of the most consistent performers on the planet. From the Safeway in 2018 through last week's Sony Open, Im has played in 43 events, posting 23 top-25 finishes.

It looked like Im had done enough to shed his maiden tag in the Sanderson Farms Championship at the end of September, but Sebastian Munoz birdied the 72nd hole, then beat Im in a playoff. Since then, he has won the Genesis Championship on the Korean Tour, before finishing third behind Tiger Woods and Hideki Matsuyama in a top-class Zozo Championship.

And at the Presidents Cup a month ago, Im was a revelation, making a superb debut for the Internationals. He won three and a half points, thrashing Gary Woodland in the singles, whipping the home crowd into a frenzy and ending any assumptions of shyness. He played two matches alongside Cameron Smith and will have been delighted to see his teammate win the Sony on Sunday. Now could be the turn of 21-year-old Im to make his breakthrough.

Next best bet

Abraham Ancer 40-1

The Presidents Cup provided an injection of confidence for Smith – and Im and Abraham Ancer can feed off Royal Melbourne heroics too. This trio of Internationals, three of seven Cup rookies on the team, all emerged from the event with great credit. Im and Ancer finished as joint top scorers of the 24 players involved.

Ancer was awesome throughout, defeated only by a buzzing Woods in the singles, and the Mexican seems to up his game under pressure. That trait should encourage a glorious career for the 28-year-old, who has won on the Korn Ferry Tour and finished runner-up to Patrick Reed in a FedEx Cup playoff event last year.

A pair of weekend 69s in the Sony sent Ancer to California in high spirits for an assignment which suits him well. He was fourth in the WGC-HSBC Champions in November and it seems only a matter of time before he is lifting PGA Tour silverware.

Other selections

Maverick McNealy 200-1

Aaron Wise 90-1

Former world number one amateur Maverick McNealy, who has been working with Butch Harmon since last summer, has almost certainly got several gears to go up in his PGA Tour career and the Californian youngster is worth chancing at massive prices for home-state glory in the AmEx.

McNealy won a college event at a different PGA West track (the Greg Norman design) in 2015, but is more than capable of handling the two PGA West venues being used this week. He missed the cut by a shot in his only previous start in this event in 2018 – when ranked 1,900 in the world.

A key to McNealy winning promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour last season was third place in the Ellie Mae Classic in California and six consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour suggest he can flourish on the West Coast again this week.

If McNealy is settling on the PGA Tour, Aaron Wise is already well established, having won the Byron Nelson in 2018. Wise is a class act who has narrowly missed his last three cuts, but prior to that he was third in the Bermuda Championship in November and it is unlikely to be long before he is contending for titles again.

The 23-year-old, 2018 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, is well worth backing at fancy prices for a low-grade event lacking star quality.

Players to note

Matthew Wolff
The Californian powerhouse followed 13th place in the Zozo Championship with 11th spot in the Sentry Tournament of Champions and is capable of entering the AmEx equation.

Cameron Champ
Another big-hitting Californian who could make an impression on home turf. Champ won the Safeway Open at the end of September and appears more comfortable than ever on the Tour.

Brendon Todd
The PGA Tour star of November should enjoy the three short courses being used this week. He finished sixth in the 2014 edition.

Harris English
The two-time PGA Tour champion started this season in excellent ball-striking form and can force his way into contention for a long overdue third Tour title.

Phil Mickelson
The tournament host relishes the chance to perform in the state of his birth and has twice won the event, but his form has been largely abysmal since he won at Pebble Beach last February.

Paul Casey
The world number 17 has snubbed Abu Dhabi, where he has won twice, for the AmEx gig. He tied 58th in his only previous spin along these three tracks.

La Quinta course guide

Courses TPC Stadium Course at PGA West, Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West, La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, California
Prize money $6.7m ($1.062m to the winner)
Length 7,113 yards, Nicklaus 7,159 yards, La Quinta 7,060 yards
Par All 72
Field 156
Course records- 18 holes TPC Stadium Course 63 Jonathan Fricke (2008 Q School), Whee Kim (2012 Q School), Nicklaus Tournament Course 59 Harrison Frazar (2008 Q School) La Quinta 59 Adam Hadwin (2017)

Course winners taking part (this set of courses) Jason Dufner, Hudson Swafford, Adam Long

When to bet By 3pm Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 4.30pm Thursday

Time difference California is eight hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week - Sony Open 1 C Smith (50-1), 2 B Steele (250-1), 3 W Simpson (12-1), T4 G McDowell (125-1), R Palmer (90-1), K Kisner (50-1)

Courses overview Various layouts have been used for this multi-course pro-am through the years, which was previously the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and a 90-hole, five-day event. Indian Wells, the Classic Club and Bermuda Dunes were popular courses axed from the four-track roster, then Silver Rock bit the dust in 2012, before the Palmer Private and Nicklaus Private later moved aside. The Stadium Course returned after a 29-year absence to act as host in 2016, and the Nicklaus Tournament Course made its debut, joining La Quinta CC for a three-course event. The same rota has been used every year since, with one round played at each of the tracks over the first three days, and the cut-makers gathering at the Stadium Course on Sunday. The Stadium Course, designed by Pete Dye, is full of deep bunkers and water, and has similarities to the TPC Sawgrass. The two newest tracks have plenty of undulation in their greens. La Quinta has become the easiest on the rota. The Stadium Course and the Nicklaus Tournament Course were both used for the US Tour Qualifying School Finals in 2002, 2006 and 2008

Story of last year Adam Long was the toast of bookmakers, the outsider defeating Phil Mickelson and Adam Hadwin by a shot to claim a maiden PGA Tour title

Weather forecast A mixture of cloud and sunshine, with hardly any breeze, so scoring should be low

Type of player suited to the challenge Having a hot putter was enough to contend in this tournament in the past, but the venue changes have put more of an emphasis on ball-striking. Putting arguably remains most important, but the penalties for errant tee-to-green work are more severe, so strong all-rounders are favoured

Key attribute Touch

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