How to bet the American Express: Best bets, DFS tips and more - ESPN

The American Express in LaQuinta, California, is a unique format: three courses with short, scorable desert tracks at PGA West Stadium Course, plus La Quinta and the Nicklaus Tournament Course in the rotation.

The winning score is pretty much prewritten at 20-under or better. This is a green light event, where fairways are wide, pins are attackable and birdies are plentiful. Power and distance isn't required. Instead, what matters is who can create chances with wedges and short irons, and actually convert when scoring is easy.

Putting spikes comes into play, moment matters and guys who can live in birdie mode without pressing tend to go low.

This is a light card, because early weeks into any sporting season adds volatility with little information to build from. I'm betting players I think can actually win, but I'm taking the most probable outcome that still pays, usually the top-20 window.

Ben Griffin: Bet Top 20 (-115)

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Full odds:

Top 10 +185

Top 5 +370

To win +2000

Griffin is a name I kept coming back to last season, and this year feels like a continuation rather than a reset. He consistently gains tee-to-green, with his biggest edge coming on approach, the most repeatable skill in golf and one that matters most at the American Express. This tournament turns into a birdie race across easy scoring conditions, so Griffin's iron play puts him in a position to score without needing hero shots.

What separates him here is balance. Griffin gains with his irons, but he's also competent around the greens and his putting is steady enough to avoid bleeding rounds. At courses where low scores are required, that