The PGA Tour's 2026 American Express tournament begins Thursday, January 22, in La Quinta, California, featuring top players like Scottie Scheffler and Ben Griffin. Griffin, coming off a breakthrough 2025 season with three PGA Tour wins, tees off at 1:31 p.m. ET alongside Patrick Cantlay. Coverage starts early on ESPN+ and continues on Golf Channel.
The 2026 American Express marks the start of the PGA Tour season in the California desert, utilizing three courses: La Quinta Country Club, Pete Dye Stadium Course, and Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West. Play gets underway at 11:30 a.m. ET across the venues, with notable pairings drawing attention.
Ben Griffin, the 29-year-old who rose to prominence in 2025 by securing his first three PGA Tour victories, earned a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team and a Player of the Year nomination. Unlike many stars making their seasonal debut, Griffin follows a T19 finish at last week's Sony Open in Hawaii. He begins on the Nicklaus Tournament Course at 1:31 p.m. ET with Ryder Cup teammate Patrick Cantlay.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, fresh off a dominant 2025 alongside Rory McIlroy, tees off at 12:14 p.m. ET on La Quinta Country Club's No. 1 tee with Justin Rose. Other highlighted groups include Tony Finau with Max Greyserman at 12:25 p.m., Rickie Fowler with Nico Echavarria at 12:36 p.m., and Wyndham Clark with Robert MacIntyre at 12:47 p.m. on the Nicklaus course.
On the Pete Dye Stadium Course, Jason Day pairs with Alex Noren at 1:09 p.m., while Max Homa joins Brian Harman at 1:31 p.m. The tournament offers early streaming on PGA Tour Live via ESPN+ from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET, followed by Golf Channel broadcast from 4-7 p.m. ET.
Full tee times span multiple starting points, blending established pros with emerging talents like Ludvig Aberg and Nick Dunlap.