The Hawaii swing is in the books and the golf betting action returns to the Lower 48 at this week’s American Express in La Quinta, California.

Known for years as the Bob Hope Classic, this sleepy Palm Springs-area tournament is played across three courses of varying difficulty. Players rotate between La Quinta Country Club, the Nicklaus Tournament Course and the Pete Dye Stadium Course in Rounds 1-3, with the fourth and final round played at the Stadium Course.

Jon Rahm is an overwhelming favorite at sportsbooks and betting sites, with unusually short odds of +500 for the full-field event.

The 2021 runner-up, Patrick Cantlay, is second at +900 and Scottie Scheffler is third at +1600.

Sungjae Im is next at +1800 after seeing a streak of 15 consecutive cuts made come to an end at last week’s Sony Open. Tony Finau and Talor Gooch round out the top six with golf odds of +2000.

2022 American Express Odds

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American Express Expert Pick & Betting Tips

Best Bet: Michael Thompson Top-10 Finish

Odds: +550 at BetMGM

The ballstrikers always fare well at these courses, and Thompson had the irons going last week in Hawaii. Thompson finished third in the field in Strokes Gained Approach en route to a top-five finish, and we expect him to carry that momentum into the American Express.

Thompson has plenty of success to draw from at this event, with two top-10 finishes in his last three starts. Thompson was T-9 in 2019 and improved on that with a T-5 in 2021. Confidence should also be high after four consecutive rounds in the 60s at the Sony Open. And while there are definitely some big names lurking atop the board, this isn’t the strongest field top-to-bottom.

We like the odds at BetMGM on Thompson for a top-10 finish at +550 on our sports betting app. Following the recent launch of sports betting in New York, new users at BetMGM New York can get a risk-free first bet worth up to $1,000 when they sign up.

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American Express Betting Tips

We’re definitely looking at another shootout in the desert, with recent winning scores hovering around 25-under-par for the week. That means you want to target players who have shown they aren’t afraid to go low and make a ton of birdies from week to week.

Distance isn’t nearly as important this week as it will be for, say, next week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. None of these courses stretch much longer than 7,100 yards, if that, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more playable course on Tour than La Quinta in terms of shorter hitters having a legit chance to go low.

This is also a great opportunity for DFS one-round contests. While most daily fantasy players are aware of and strategize around circumstances like tee times and course difficulty when more than one course is used, a small portion will ignore or forget. That means we should have a better chance to cash in one-round showdowns by selecting lineups comprised entirely of guys playing La Quinta – the easiest of the three courses – for a given round.

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American Express, Date & TV

When: Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 20-23

Where: Pete Dye Stadium Course, La Quinta, California

TV: Golf Channel, ESPN+