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Justin Rose and Sahith Theegala take on The American Express at the once most difficult and humbling course in the world.
The American Express
January 22-25, 2026
PGA West, Stadium Course | La Quinta, California
Purse: $9.2M
Back in the mid-1980s, Pete Dye was commissioned to build "the hardest damn golf course", so he built the Stadium Course at PGA West.
When Dye unveiled his Stadium Course, TOUR pros petitioned to have it removed from the schedule after just one appearance (1987). The course was so difficult that it earned a USGA course rating of 77.1 — the highest ever recorded.
The petition succeeded, removing it from the TOUR schedule for almost 30 years, only to return to the rotation in 2016.
This week, two LAGC members (Justin Rose and Sahith Theegala) return to the California desert where the once-banished course now anchors The American Express, a tournament that's been a West Coast fixture since Arnold Palmer won the inaugural event in 1960.
In the first three rounds, they’ll take on three classic courses:
PGA West Stadium Course
PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course
La Quinta Country Club
If they find themselves in the top 65 after three rounds, they’ll head back to Dye’s Stadium Course to compete for the title.
Why Did the Course Come Back?
The Stadium Course's 1987 debut was carnage. Final-round scoring average: 73.97. Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray wrote that you'd need "a camel, a canoe, a priest and a tourniquet" to survive it.
When the Stadium Course returned to the TOUR rotation after 29 years, the game had changed.
The course was simply ahead of its time. Before modern equipment, the world’s best couldn’t hit long enough to stay out of the trouble the course provided them. Now, winners consistently post scores in the 20s under par.
Technology has improved, the course conditions have improved, and the players have better analytics and course management than ever before. So this once daunting course that infuriated tour players actually played as the 10th easiest course on the TOUR circuit in 2025.
The game has come a long way, and we have a couple guys ready to take advantage of it.
Justin Rose Storylines
Rose hasn’t competed in The American Express since 2022, where he tied for 33rd place alongside now-teammate Sahith Theegala. Rose looks to build off an incredible 2025 campaign that shot him up to 10th in the OWGR, his highest ranking since 2019.
Rose’s 2025 was one to remember — beautiful play all season, rewarded with a FedEx St. Jude Championship win in Memphis and a Ryder Cup with Team Europe victory at Bethpage. While Rose has begun his 2026 with LAGC, his TOUR campaign begins this week on the West Coast.
Sahith Theegala Storylines
Theegala birdied 18 at the Sony Open in Hawaii on Friday to make the cut, allowing him to finish T-31 in his first event of the year. He looks to build off a good start in this week’s American Express event.
Theegala finished T-54 in 2023 and T-33 alongside Rose in 2022. Theegala has shown flashes of stardom from his early career until now, and we expect a big season for Sahith in 2026.
What to Watch
Five of the OWGR’s top ten (including Rosey), and eleven of the top twenty-five players will be teeing it up in this year’s star-studded American Express event.
This will be golf at its best. Every winner since the Stadium Course was reintroduced has scored better than 20 under par, so look for your favorite golfers to score LOW.