The American Express Prop Bets: Can Chan Kim, Harrison Endycott Shine in California?

The American Express Prop Bets: Can Chan Kim, Harrison Endycott Shine in California?

The PGA Tour moves out of Hawaii and into the Californian desert for this weeks American Express. This is the first of three events in California which features course rotation. The three courses rotated at PGA West all yield a lot of birdies but of the three, the Pete Dye designed Stadium Course poses the biggest threat. It's another birdie fest, the players will need to be dialled in on approach and have a hot putter to find any success here.

Below I've targeted two players to chance in the Top 40 market:

The American Express Date, Time, and Where to Watch

• Date: January 18 - 24, 2024
• Opening Tee Time: 11:30 am
• Where to Watch: Golf Channel, Peacock, ESPN+

The American Express Prop Bets

Chan Kim Top 40 +375 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds

Chan Kim has had quite the career. He developed his game as a youngster in Hawaii but started his professional career on the Canadian Tour and subsequently had stints on the Asian and European Challenge Tour. He finally settled in Japan, where he spent seven years on the main tour out there. Kim had a lot of success out in Japan, winning eight titles and coming out on top of the order merit in the 2021 season. Last year he was heavily fancied by many to progress from the Korn Ferry Tour and get his PGA Tour card. He left it late into the season but back to back wins in August got the job done.

It's definitely not the usual path we see to the PGA Tour, nonetheless the years in Japan have no doubt done him the world of good. He is 33 years of age and now has his shot in the big league. He started his first event of his rookie season at the Sony Open last week and was unlucky not to make the cut. Kim opened with a 5 over 75 sitting nearly dead last after round one. He fought back in round two with a 6 under round of 64 to miss the cut by a shot. In that second round he gained strokes across the board excelling on approach and putting. Last week he had some media attention in regards to his time spent in Hawaii growing up. It might've been an unwelcome distraction from the task in hand, possibly added a bit of extra pressure to perform. Either way Kim responded brilliantly in the second round and he can bring that momentum into the American Express this week. He resides in Arizona and went to University there so should be familiar with golf in the desert.

Chan Kim has played in this event before, making his one and only appearance a couple of years ago. He shot three rounds under par but narrowly missed the cut by a shot. He will be better prepared this time round after seeing the courses and the format. Kim is a birdie machine, he won an event on the Korn Ferry Tour last year at -28 under par. He'll be coming into this event in good spirits after that second round and his fantastic character should suit the Pro-Am format. I think he stands a great chance to finish inside the top 40 this week.

Harrison Endycott Top 40 +550 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds

Harrison Endycott managed to keep hold of his PGA Tour card this year after an impressive performance at Q School. He comfortably won the event by 4 shots and it's worth noting the two courses used in that event were Pete Dye designed. The Stadium Course which is used for two of the four rounds this week is also a Pete Dye design. This certainly catches the eye and adds to his appeal this week.

Endycott didn't have much to shout about last year but there were definitely moments where you can see his potential. He was second going into the weekend at the Sanderson Farms Championship, ended up finishing 28th. He was sixth going into the weekend at the AT&T Byron Nelson, finished 50th. In both events he lost his cool over the weekend but that happens so often to players in their rookie season. His best result of the season came at the Bermuda Championship finishing tenth, other notable finishes were his 12th place finishes at the Fortinet and Canadian Open. The rookie season is always the toughest, lots of new courses to get your head round. He got his card back the hard way and will be better prepared this year.

This event was one of the spots he showed up in last year. Endycott finished 22nd and carded three rounds of 67 or better. It's his first event since he was medalist at Q School, he'll be raring to go, full of confidence and looks a lively longshot this week. I've taken him outright and eachway but for added security a top 40 finish looks a brilliant bet.

Golf Odds

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