2022 American Express – Syndication Server

2022 American Express memories? Eagles, egrets and Muppet headcovers.

The PGA Tour’s stop in the Coachella desert was entertaining yet again in 2022.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — The 2022 version of the PGA Tour’s American Express is in the books, and it was another entertaining entry.

Of course, the golf delivered drama, but that wasn’t the only reason to enjoy the four-day event.

Here are the 20 things that caught my fancy as I cruised around the three courses throughout the four-day tournament, from eagles, egrets, to head covers to 400-yard drives.

1. The perfect eagle. Hudson Swafford hit a 342-yard drive in the middle of the fairway on the par-5 16th at the Stadium Course at PGA West. He then hit a 198-yard approach shot to about 8-feet, 1-inch, and then sank the putt. That’s how you win a tournament. Love when someone goes out and grabs the win, as opposed to holding on for dear life.

American Express: Leaderboard | PGA West yardage book

2. Kudos to the chasers Tom Hoge and Lee Hodges. Neither had won a PGA Tournament before, but while others fell by the wayside, they finished second and third, recording their biggest paydays.

3. The story of golfer T.J. Vogel fascinated me. He teed off here on Thursday at 10:30 a.m., just 20 hours after sinking his final putt Wednesday in a Korn Ferry Tour event in the Bahamas. The dedication of the golfers scratching and clawing to make the tour is inspiring.

4. Tournament host Phil Mickelson was noticeably absent this week. No pre-tournament press conference. No post-match media after any of his three rounds. Not on hand for trophy presentation. Sure, he didn’t play well, but I’m not sure what to make of it. Just an observation.

5. “We can come back and see the ducks, hold on for a minute,” Hudson Swafford said after his son James whispered something in his ear after hugging him behind the 18th green after securing his win. Swafford had to sign his $1,368,000 scorecard first.

6. I agree with James Swafford entirely. You know how The Masters pumps in bird sounds to make it seem more idyllic than it actually is. There were so many beautiful shorebirds (as Swafford’s son James mentioned) and I guess regular tree birds at The American Express that it felt like they had some transferred in from a nearby sanctuary. Some beautiful peripheral viewing.

7. Enjoyed the Maroon 5 concert. I thought I knew two of their songs, but turns out I know about 13 of them. They are one of those bands for me, where every song was like “Oh, this is them? I like this one.” Adam Levine’s voice penetrated the wind nicely and the crowd, while large was spaced apart. Good choice.

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8. Full disclosure, I did not see Brad Paisley on Saturday, choosing instead to go home and rest. Also I have already seen Paisley headline Stagecoach, but I’m realizing now that was 10 years ago. Wow!

9. It was great to have the gallery back, and it was a large crowd lining the 18th for Swafford’s win. There were a lot of small touches with the fans in mind. For example, the first-hole announcers would say, “Welcome to The American Express golf tournament. We’re glad to have you back.”

10. Patrick Cantlay was on fire early in this event but ran out of kindling quickly. He was 10-under after 18 holes and then only 4-under for the next 36. He finished in the top 10 but was never in contention on Sunday.

11. The quiet storm Si Woo Kim, the 2021 champ, rode consistent play with his usual Sunday surge on the Stadium Course to come close to becoming only the second repeat winner of this event. A water ball on the 17th dashed his hopes as he finished tied for 11th with his steady 68, 68. 69, 67.

12. Harold Varner III had a good week at The American Express, which means so too did Gerald Varner. Who is Gerald Varner? That’s Harold’s headcover, which looks like a Muppet version of him.

13. The Good Sport Award goes to my new favorite player James Hart du Preez. Notable for his extremely long drives and 6-foot-9 frame, a fan asked if she could take a picture with him as he approached the first tee to begin his Saturday round. He obliged and took a funny photo standing next to the 4-foot-11 woman. He then took it a step further and got on his knees for another photo with her, now around the same height. It made her day, and I don’t think many other golfers would’ve been so kind one minute before starting their round.

More: He’s 6-foot-9 and can hit it 400 yards, meet James Hart du Preez, your new favorite golfer

14. Oh by the way, du Preez hit a 407-yard drive on the 5th hole on the Stadium Course on Thursday and a 406-yard drive on the 9th hole. The next longest drive by a pro on any course on that day was 346 yards by Cameron Champ.

15. Followed world No. 1 Jon Rahm around for his entire 6-under 66 at La Quinta Country Club on Thursday. It was impressive how easy he made the game look. Drive in the fairway. Hit the green in regulation. Two-putt or an occasional one-putt. Six birdies no bogeys. No sweat, and he wasn’t that happy about his round. Must be nice to be that good.

16. My favorite fan hat of the tournament was a pair of fans who wore a white baseball cap with the word “Spectator” on them. They told me it was an inside joke, but wouldn’t divulge the secret, which I guess is what makes it an inside joke.

17. Some disappointing efforts by big-name players this week. Tony Finau just made the cut on the number. Rickie Fowler and Mickelson playing together struggled all week. Patrick Reed made the cut but was never in contention.

18. Three cheers to the new traffic flow gameplan for leaving PGA West after the concerts. What took me three-and-a-half hours during the debacle of 2020 took only 30 minutes (29 to be exact). I liked that much better.

19. Big day for Georgia grads with almost the same name. In golf it was 34-year-old Swafford with The American Express win. In football it was 33-year-old Matthew Stafford with an NFL playoff win. It’s been a good year for Georgia sports overall, I suppose.

20. Cameron Young and Will Zalatoris were both on the leader board entering the final round. That’s exciting for alphabet fans in that Young is the only current PGA Tour player whose name begins with a Y and Zalatoris is the only current PGA Tour player whose name begins with a Z.

Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.

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Winner’s Bag: Hudson Swafford, The American Express

Check out the clubs that got the job done at PGA West.

A complete list of the golf equipment Hudson Swafford used to win the PGA Tour’s The American Express:

DRIVER: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ (9 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 60X shaft (from $599.99 at Carl’s Golfland and Dick’s Sporting Goods)

FAIRWAY WOODS: Ping i25 (14 degrees), with Aldila Rogue Silver 80X shaft, (18 degrees), with Aldila Tour Blue shaft

IRONS: PXG 0311 ST GEN3 (4-5), 0311 ST GEN4 (6-9), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts (0311 GEN4 ST irons from $275 each at pxg.com)

WEDGES: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy (46, 50 degrees), 0311 Sugar Daddy II (56 degrees), Titleist Vokey prototype (60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts (0311 Sugar Daddy from $239 each at pxg.com)

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 7.5 prototype

BALL: Titleist Pro V1 (from $49.99 at Carl’s Golfland and Dick’s Sporting Goods)

GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

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Hudson Swafford goes low late on Sunday to run away with 2022 American Express title

Swafford ran away with the win thanks to some late-round heroics.

If you spent your Sunday afternoon and evening watching the NFL playoffs, you saw some exciting football. But you also missed some exciting golf.

During the final round of the 2022 American Express three players were tied for the lead at 20 under par with another six within three shots late in the action at the Stadium Course at PGA West, but it was Hudson Swafford who prevailed in the end. The 34-year-old shot an 8-under 64 to win at 23 under for his third win on Tour and first since the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. His first win came at the American Express in 2017.

American Express: Leaderboard

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Swafford broke the three-way tie atop the leaderboard with Francesco Molinari and Brian Harman with an eagle on the par-5 16^th to move to 22 under. He grabbed some more breathing room with a clutch birdie from the edge of the green on the par-3 17^th to take a three-shot advantage to the 18^th tee.

A Swafford par on the 18th meant Tom Hoge needed to hole-out for eagle on his 72nd hole, which he did not. The 32-year-old Hoge finished second at 21 under, followed by Brian Harman, Lanto Griffin and Lee Hodges all T-3 at 20 under.

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‘Putting contest week:’ Video catches Jon Rahm criticizing the set-up at 2022 American Express

Tell us how you really feel, Jon.

Jon Rahm is the kind of guy to wear his heart on his sleeve. He doesn’t shy away or hide from his emotions. He embraces them. It’s part of the reason he’s the No. 1 player in the world.

That mentality can produce some incredibly thoughtful responses to post-round questions. It can also produce some fits of, let’s call it passion, on the golf course. Exhibit A: a fan video that captured Rahm being critical of the PGA Tour’s set-up this week at the 2022 American Express.

In the video, Rahm walks off a green on the Nicklaus Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California, during the second round and drops a few expletives before calling the event a “putting contest week.”

American Express: Leaderboard | PGA West yardage book

Rahm isn’t too happy with the easy conditions at the AmEx 😳 pic.twitter.com/mkj0gOqZgo

— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) January 23, 2022

Rahm won the event in 2018 and earlier in the week had glowing things to say about La Quinta Country Club, one of the three courses being used this week alongside the Nicklaus and Stadium courses at PGA West.

“It’s always a very enjoyable walk out here. La Quinta Country Club it’s a great golf course, it’s always in pristine shape, one of the best we play all year shape-wise. It’s a golf course where if you play well you can give yourself a lot of birdie chances and that’s what happened today,” Rahm said Thursday.

“I think I said it, it’s one of those that I’m always looking forward to playing. It’s a great golf course, it’s always in great shape, and without a doubt, with the rotation we have, we’ve had to, if I had to be a member at one, it would be this one,” he continued. “But if I had to choose it would be this one because it feels like a better atmosphere, right? It’s a private club and again it’s just a really enjoyable walk, it’s a really good golf course.”

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2022 American Express Sunday tee times, TV and streaming info

Everything you need to know for the final round.

After a two-week swing through Hawaiian paradise to kick off the 2022 calendar year, the PGA Tour is in La Quinta, California, this week for the 2022 American Express.

A group of unfamiliar names lead the way heading into the final round, including six players at 15 under or better looking for their first PGA Tour win.

From tee times and TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the final round of the 2022 American Express. All times listed are ET.

Note: The final round will be played exclusively on the Stadium Course.

American Express: Leaderboard | PGA West yardage book

Stadium Course

1st tee

11:45 a.m.	Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Sam Ryder, Shantanu Narayen
11:55 a.m.	Aaron Rai, Alex Smalley, Rob Light
12:05 p.m.	K.H. Lee, Sungjae Im, Allan Thygesen
12:15 p.m.	Patton Kizzire, Luke List, Dave Lewis
12:25 p.m.	Zach Johnson, Brandt Snedeker, Wade Oney
12:35 p.m.	Charles Howell III, Martin Trainer, Greyson Sigg
12:45 p.m.	Roger Sloan, David Lipsky, Si Woo Kim
12:55 p.m.	Lucas Glover, Adam Svensson, Joseph Bramlett
1:05 p.m.	Davis Riley, Jon Rahm, Brian Harmon
1:15 p.m.	Will Zalatoris, Denny McCarthy, Wyndham Clark
1:25 p.m.	Harold Varner III, Sahith Theegala, Patrick Cantlay
1:35 p.m.	Lanto Griffin, Cameron Young, Francesco Molinari
1:45 p.m.	Seamus Power, Harry Higgs, Hudson Swafford
1:55 p.m.	Lee Hodges, Paul Barjon, Tom Hoge

Stadium Course

10th tee

11:45 a.m.	Andrew Putnam, Camilo Villegas, Patrick Mount
11:55 a.m.	Russell Henley, Nick Hardy, Andrew Macdonald
12:05 p.m.	Patrick Rodgers, Jared Wolfe, John McClure
12:15 p.m.	J.T. Poston, Brice Garnett, Gary Cobb
12:25 p.m.	Sepp Straka, Michael Gligic, Kevin Chappell
12:35 p.m.	Anirban Lahiri, Abraham Ancer, Adam Hadwin
12:45 p.m.	Doug Ghim, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose
12:55 p.m.	Taylor Moore, Jason Dufner, Hank Lebioda
1:05 p.m.	Vince Whaley, Seung-Yul Noh, Patrick Reed
1:15 p.m.	Henrik Norlander, Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun
1:25 p.m.	Emiliano Grillo, Tony Finau, Jason Day
1:35 p.m.	Bronson Burgoon, Nick Taylor
1:45 p.m.	Trey Mullinax, Stephen Stallings Jr.

TV, streaming, radio information

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is now the streaming home for PGA Tour Live. All times ET.

Sunday, Jan. 23

TV

Golf Channel: 3-7 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 2-7 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 11:30-7

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Low scoring pushes Lee Hodges, Paul Barjon to American Express lead heading into final round

Tom Hoge and Seamus Power know they may have let a better chance at winning the tournament slip away.

Tom Hoge and Seamus Power have played well enough through three rounds of The American Express to be among the leaders at the tournament. But both Hoge and Power know they may have let a better chance at winning the tournament slip away Saturday afternoon.

“I would have liked a few more for sure, but there were quite a few tough holes out there,” Hoge said after a 4-under 68 that included just one birdie and no bogeys in his final 11 holes. “A couple tough par-3 that we had to deal with, a few tough tee shots, and there’s just enough wind and it’s moving around just enough that it was kind of tough to get the right yardage on all the approach shots coming in.”

With Hoge leading at 17 under and Power at 16 under in the clubhouse, they could only watch as Paul Barjon and Lee Hodges shot low scores on the tougher Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West on a breezy day to pass them up.

Playing together in the last group of the day at the Stadium Course, Hodges regained a share of the lead he had in the first round with an 8-under 64. Barjon shot 65, and the pair finished the day at 18-under 198. Hoge is alone in third at 199.

“It was tough early and (the wind) kind of died on our back nine a little bit,” said Hodges, who played his final nine holes in 6 under. “It was off and on, but it was a good wind for, like the easy holes were playing a little easier but the hard holes were hard. So you just had to make a couple pars and then get to those downwind holes.”

More: American Express: Let’s get to know the unfamiliar names atop leader board

Hodges opened the tournament with a 62 at La Quinta, but was hitting the ball just as well Saturday, he said.

“It was a great day. Hit the ball really well. I know it was really nice to see some putts fall on that back nine,” Hodges said. “I made three nice putts in a row there from like 10 to 12. And then just kind of really hit some quality shots coming in to give myself some easy birdies.”

Playing side by side with Hodges, who is ranked 312th in the world to Barjon’s 313th, Barjon played the final nine holes Saturday in 4 under to get a share of the lead. A rookie on the PGA Tour, Barjon is looking for his first win on tour, as are six of the top 10 players on the leader board. Barjon also played his way into the final threesome Sunday, where he will play with Hodges for the fourth consecutive day.

Paul Barjon plays his shot from the ninth tee during the third round of the American Express golf tournament at Peter Dye Stadium Course. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

“It was great playing with Lee again for the third day. He played really good the first day, really kind of set the tone by making pretty much everything he looked at on the green,” Barjon said. “So that’s always good to see and just kind of get inspired by that and trying to make as many putts as we could the last three days and we made quite a few. So we’re going to try to keep it going tomorrow.”

The tricky back nine at La Quinta Country Club and trickier winds that hit the tournament Saturday prevented Hoge and Power from separating themselves from the field late in the day.

Taking advantage of the early scoring holes on the front nine at La Quinta, Hoge was 4 under through seven holes Saturday and Power was 6 under through six holes. But Hoge was just 1 under in his closing 11 holes and Power was even through his last final 12 holes to finish at 16 under and alone in fourth place.

“It was an interesting round. It was very fun on the front there,” Power said. “It was one of those rounds you just kind of made everything I looked at for an hour and a half. But, yeah, had a little bit of a hiccup there, three-putted 9 from really nowhere at all and didn’t take advantage of 11 or 13.”

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That allowed other golfers playing on the tougher Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West to stay in touch with the leaders. Six golfers, including 2017 American Express champion Hudson Swafford and former British Open champion Francesco Molinari, are at 15 under with one round to play. The others are Harold Varner III, Harry Higgs, Lanto Griffin and Cameron Young.

Some of the biggest names in the field failed to take advantage of the relatively high scoring among the leaders at La Quinta. Patrick Cantlay, who led the second round at 14 under, finished at that number with an even-par round on the Stadium Course. World No. 1 Jon Rahm did shoot a 67 at the Stadium Course, but he is 13 under and within striking distance of less-experienced players.

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Notes: Phil Mickelson leads list of big names to miss cut at American Express; Patrick Cantlay ends sub-70 round streak

Mickelson never had a chance to make the cut in the third round, starting the day at 7 over.

If Patrick Cantlay is looking for some good news after an even-par round of 72 on the Pete Dye Stadium Course on Saturday in The American Express, it’s that he’s closer to the lead going into the final round this year than he was last year.

Cantlay was four shots off the lead entering the last round in 2021, then shot a 61 to finish one shot behind champion Si Woo Kim. This year, Cantlay is just three shots out of the lead after 54 holes.

After rounds of 62 and 68 to start the tournament, Cantlay struggled with his driver throughout Saturday’s round, made four bogeys and dropped out of the lead. He also saw his streak of 21 consecutive competitive rounds on the PGA Tour under 70 end.

Cantlay’s third round started with a bogey on the first hole when he hit his drive closer to the ninth fairway. He added bogeys on the third, sixth and ninth holes with making birdies on the second, fifth and eighth holes. His back nine featured eight pars and one birdie.

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Unkind cut for Mickelson

Phil Mickelson never had a chance to make the cut in the third round, starting the day at 7 over. That’s where Mickelson finished the tournament after a par-72 on the Stadium Course on Saturday, missing the cut in the tournament he hosts for the third consecutive year.

Mickelson, who has won the tournament twice and finished second as recently as 2019, shot himself out of contention Thursday on a course that he dominated in the 2019 performance. That year, Mickelson shot a 12-under 60 in the first round at La Quinta Country Club.

Thursday, Mickelson did almost the exact opposite, struggling early on the way to a 6-over 78, leaving him tied for last in the 156-player field with Austin Cook, who played the tougher Stadium Course at PGA West. The 78 matched the worst round he’s shot in this event. He also shot 78 in the fifth round in 2007.

But Mickelson was hardly the only big name to miss the cut, which came at 7-under 209. Past tournament champions missing the cut included Pat Perez, Adam Long, Jhonattan Vegas, Brian Gay, Bill Haas and Andrew Landry. Other notables missing the cut included Davis Love III, Rickie Fowler, Jimmy Walker and Luke Donald.

Swafford looking to win again

Hudson Swafford won the 2017 American Express title in a rainy week, holding off Adam Hadwin, who had shot a 59 at La Quinta Country Club that week.

Swafford made a quiet move up the leader board Saturday with a 66 on the Stadium Course and is tied for fifth at 15-under par as he looks to become the ninth player to win the tournament at least twice. He said his game isn’t quite the same as when he won the tournament.

“I might have drove it a little better in ’17,” Swafford said. “It’s been a — haven’t hit quite as many fairways, but really hit my irons beautifully, putting great, doing everything else pretty good. It’s kind of got that feel the way I feel like I’m rolling it.”

Mullinax playing through

Trey Mullinax didn’t hit a good tee shot on the par-5 11th hole, but that didn’t stop him from having a little fun at his own expense with a course official. Looking for his drive off the 11th tee near the 16th fairway, Mullinax told an official, “Hi, I’m playing the wrong hole.”

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2022 American Express Saturday tee times, TV and streaming info

Everything you need to know for the third round.

After a two-week swing through Hawaiian paradise to kick off the 2022 calendar year, the PGA Tour is in La Quinta, California, this week for the 2022 American Express.

A star-studded field is competing in the Coachella Valley this week, with a handful of featured pairings worth keeping an eye on, including: Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm and Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler, Graeme McDowell and Francesco Molinari, Jason Day and Justin Rose.

Patrick Cantlay followed up his opening round 10 under with a 4-under 68 and leads by one heading into the weekend in the desert.

From tee times and TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the third round of the 2022 American Express. All times listed are ET.

American Express: Leaderboard | PGA West yardage book