January 21, 2026
Blades Brown will make his first PGA Tour appearance of 2026 at this week's American Express in La quinta, California. Brown missed the cut at his first Korn Ferry Tour appearance of the year at The Bahamas Golf Classic. Brown made his first PGA Tour appearance in 2025 at this same event and missed the cut. Over the past 12 months, Brown ranks in the 55th percentile in greens in regulation percentage from approach shots 50-100 yards in the fairway. This is important to mention because at last year's American Express over 15% of approach shots came from this distance.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
January 21, 2026
Kevin Roy played well last week at the Sony Open. The American golfer finished T-13 and carries some confidence heading into The American Express. Course rotation did not bother him last year as he finished T-18 at the event. The 2023 event saw him miss the cut but he simply did not convert enough birdie opportunities. Roy often putts well in clusters. He gained 1.45 strokes last week in the metric. Roy warmed up at the event last year after an opening round 71. The only problem is this stacked field. Can he afford to do that again? Roy may be one to watch for in those Top 20 wagers and DFS from a birdie standpoint. When he gets hot, Roy gets hot.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
January 21, 2026
Min Woo Lee broke through with a victory in Texas last season. The Australian golfer finished the year well with three Top 12 results in his final four events. With how volatile the PGA Tour can be, Lee is trying to become more consistent. At 27, he is still young but there is one tell-tale stat for him -- putting. When he gains a sizable amount of strokes, Lee contends. If he does not, there is trouble. The only event in 2025 where he failed to make the weekend with a positive putting metric was the Arnold Palmer. He gained 1.06 strokes to putting but his approach shots were horrendous causing him to lose 3.37 strokes and position. The key for Lee is working on avoiding those mistakes in 2026 while this week he works out the rust.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
January 21, 2026
Max Homa fell off in a big way in 2025. The American golfer has won on the PGA Tour six times. However, 2025 saw just five Top 25 results and a slew of missed cuts from February into April. Five consecutive events featured opening rounds that were brutal (the 81 at the Arnold Palmer included). Some speculation suggested that Homa was not 100% for the first half of 2025. Whatever it was did seem to correct itself over the Fall part of the season. Homa finished in the Top 20 in three of his final four events. These did not feature the competition he will see this week. However, Homa also has not competed at The American Express since 2021. It might be a week to examine what he does before placing him into your DFS or betting rotation.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
January 21, 2026
Tony Finau is now facing what a steady player fears the most. The American golfer is now 36 and only had one Top 10 result in 2025. He dropped to 94th in the World Rankings and 83rd during the Fall Swing. The struggles continued in Hawaii last week as he missed the cut at the Sony Open. Finau had contended in three of the past four events in Southern California. However, 2025 saw him miss the cut behind a disastrous 74 in the third round. This seemed like a theme throughout last season. Finau missed approaches like crazy in Hawaii losing 2.16 strokes. Besides inconsistent putting, this appeared to be a new problem. Finau may need time to work out the rust and kinks in his game this 2026.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
January 21, 2026
Cam Davis could not overcome the tee shots last week in Hawaii. The Australian golfer compounded his problems by losing 1.23 strokes to putting. That results in a two-day stay at the Sony Open. Davis is totally feast or famine in Southern California. He finished 18th in 2025 and 3rd in 2022. However, Davis missed the cut in 2022 and 2023. It was one round that derailed him each year. The key for the Aussie is avoiding trouble. Last week, Davis started off with a 68 then came unglued in Round 2 with a 74. Honestly, the round could have been even worse. Again, four rounds of balanced play is vital for Davis. Anything less makes him avoidable for Daily Fantasy.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
January 21, 2026
Eric Cole had one of those short weeks in Hawaii. The American golfer was erratic off the tee and with the putter last week. As a result, he missed the cut while losing more than two strokes combined from putting and driving. His distance and accuracy were off as he was 12 and 9% off from the field average in those metrics. Worse, a three course rotation starting with the Pete Dye course is troubling. The longest course at 7,210 yards, could cause Cole some more problems especially if his driver is off again early. Playing catch up with this field inspires less hope from a DFS standpoint.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
January 21, 2026
Brian Campbell did not enjoy the trade winds in Hawaii. The American golfer missed the cut at the Sony Open. His second round 67 was much better but it was not enough to undo the damage of an opening 74. Even with fewer birdies being yielded at Waialae, Campbell just could not crack through and make it to the weekend. The American Express is unique in that the cut is over the course of 54 holes. It gives Campbell a little extra time. The concern is he made less than half the weekends in 2025 (11/24). One of those events was The American Express but Campbell still finished outside the Top 50 (T-51). He is probably still a fade for DFS and wagering at this juncture.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
January 21, 2026
Daniel Berger took advantage of a somewhat stacked field at the Sony Open to finish inside the top 10. The American golfer finished tied for sixth, but his putting was not quite the difference-maker as expected. Berger drove the ball 7% better than average, and he gained more strokes on approach (0.97) than putting (0.88). That surprised a lot of people. The problem for Berger may be the three-course rotation (PGA West Stadium, PGA West Nicklaus, La Quinta). That could be too much for him here. Either way, Sunday is played on the Stadium course. With eight of the World's top 20 competing this week, Berger might lurk but not quite contend as far as betting purposes.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
January 20, 2026
Those following the Will Zalatoris story arc have been privy to the back-and-forth he's experienced over the last few years from a health standpoint. Even the years between back problems have been reluctant to embrace. However, hearing him discuss things ahead of this week's American Express, it sounds like things may actually be on the path back to normalcy. Interestingly, the 29-year-old has managed to play in this event every year since 2022, even with the struggles. Most of his success at the three-course rotation found at this event is in the ball striking side of things, where he's averaged +0.882 strokes on approach and +0.590 off the tee over his four previous starts. Zalatoris will come with a looming sense of dread for quite a while, given his now muddied longevity, but it would be a crime to forget the raw talent this man possesses. If you find yourself in a position to use him in DFS lineups, he's worth giving an opportunity to.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
January 20, 2026
2025 reminded golf fans of the presence of Justin Rose in professional golf after the 45-year-old re-emerged as a name to watch for every week he tees it up. Over his final eight starts, he accumulated two top 25s, one top 10, and a victory at the St. Jude event in Memphis. His ability to compete week in and week out has diminished with age, but he's still more than capable of contending any given week. At a venue like what's on deck this week in the Coachella Valley, where approach and short game statistics mean more than power off the tee, Rose is more than capable of hanging around. The Englishman hasn't played at PGA West since 2023, finishing in a tie for 23rd. While he hasn't had a meaningful event here since 2007, he has all the makings of a player who could post some solid scores this week.
--Todd McGillSource: PGA Tour
January 20, 2026
It was a solid start to the 2026 season for Harry Hall after finishing T6 last week at Waialae. It was a complete week from a strokes gained perspective, with his +2.13 strokes gained total average being pretty evenly distributed among the four individual metrics. He'll now travel to PGA West to make his fifth career start at the AMEX. His appearance last season was his best outing with a T21 finish. For a player who suffers most from what he does off the tee, this is a course that is prime for his skill set. Hall is a strong candidate to be a part of the action come Sunday. If you took the chance on him last week, there's no reason to turn away from him here.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
January 20, 2026
It was a delightful end to the season for Rickie Fowler, who racked up T6 and T7 finishes in Memphis and at the BMW Championship before ultimately missing out on the Tour Championship. He caught fire with his irons for those two events, earning an average of +1.105 strokes on approach over those eight rounds. Zooming out further, it was his driver and putter that were the larger overall contributors, averaging +0.680 strokes gained off the tee and +0.498 on the greens over his closing six events. Knowing which player we'll get this week at PGA West is difficult after a four-month shutdown. But chasing after his trending golf game before hanging things up is fool's gold after that length of time. Still, he's a decent flyer option for risky lineups.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
January 20, 2026
For a player of Harris English's caliber, it seems odd that he would choose the American Express to make his first start of the new season. He's only recorded two top 20s in nine career starts; however, he's missed only one cut. Most PGA Tour players would be content with that kind of track record, but it seems like we should expect more from someone with his lengthy history. The former Georgia Bulldog had a terrible 2025 in approach proximity numbers, ultimately finishing 119th in strokes gained on approach (-0.070). Putting continues to be a strength for the 36-year-old, but even as good as his work with the flat stick has been, it hasn't translated to making a ton of birdies. At a course that demands precision with short irons and wedges, English has a safe floor with limited upside as long as the accuracy issues persist.
--Todd McGillSource: PGA Tour
January 20, 2026
The beginning of the new PGA Tour season started for Luke Clanton much like his prior season finished: poorly. Mostly due to bad putting, the rate at which he coughs up strokes on the greens isn't conducive to reliable production. The ball striking isn't the problem, as he ranked inside the top 35 in strokes gained off the tee and top 60 in strokes gained on approach last year. As things pertain to this week at PGA West, if Clanton's inability to make putts wasn't enough of a deterrent, the clear shortcomings in his wedge game --both around the green and on approach--probably are. The former Seminole ranked well outside the top 100 for proximity within most wedge ranges. The future is still bright for the 22-year-old, but DFS players should bide their time on him to show some improvement.
--Todd McGillSource: PGA Tour
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