Scottie Scheffler begins his 2026 campaign in the California desert and Rory McIlroy stays in Dubai

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THE AMERICAN EXPRESS

Site: La Quinta, California.

Courses: PGA West-Stadium (Yardage: 7,210. Par: 72), PGA West-Nicklaus (Yardage: 7,147. Par: 72); La Quinta CC (Yardage: 7,060. Par: 72).

Prize money: $9.2 million. Winner's share: $1,656,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Sepp Straka.

FedEx Cup leader: Chris Gotterup.

Last week: Chris Gotterup won the Sony Open.

Notes: Scottie Scheffler makes his 2026 debut. This will be his sixth time playing The American Express. He has only one top 10. ... The field is believed to be the strongest in history, in part because The Sentry at Kapalua was canceled because of a water dispute. ... Among the sponsor exemptions are Blades Brown, who is playing the Korn Ferry Tour event in the Bahamas that ends on Wednesday. As a sponsor invitation, he would not arrive at the three-course tournament until the night before it starts. ... Among those playing for the first time this year are Patrick Cantlay, Ludvig Aberg, Justin Rose and defending champion Sepp Straka. ... Xander Schauffele is expected to make his '26 debut next week in his hometown of San Diego. ... Chris Gotterup, who is not in the field, has won in three straight seasons on the PGA Tour. The only players with longer active streaks are Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. ... This is the last event before the PGA Tour goes on network TV.

Next week: Farmers Insurance Open.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

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HERO DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

Site: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Course: Emirates GC. Yardage: 7,439. Par: 72.

Prize money: $9 million. Winner's share: $1.5 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 2:30-8:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 2-8 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Tyrrell Hatton.

Race to Dubai leader: Jayden Schaper.

Last week: Nacho Elvira won the Dubai Invitational.

Notes: Rory McIlroy is a four-time winner of the Dubai Desert Classic . ... This is the first Rolex Series event on the European tour schedule. ... Dustin Johnson starts his season by playing the Dubai Desert Classic for the first time. ... Johnson is among 10 players from LIV Golf who are in the field, including three — Victor Perez, Laurie Canter and Elvis Smylie — who have signed with LIV for the 2026 season. ... Five players from Europe's winning Ryder Cup team are in the field, along with captain Luke Donald. ... McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry are among those playing for a second straight week in Dubai. ... Zac Blair is playing under the exemption for players who finished between Nos. 126 and 200 on the FedEx Cup last year. Also playing under that exemption is Jeremy Paul of Germany. ... This is the second of four straight weeks the European tour is in the Middle East. It will return at the end of the the year in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Next week: Bahrain Championship.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/

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MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CHAMPIONSHIP AT HUALALAI

Site: Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii.

Course: Hualalai GC. Yardage: 7,107. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $340,000.

Television: Friday-Sunday, 7-10 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Ernie Els.

Charles Schwab Cup champion: Stewart Cink.

Last tournament: Stewart Cink won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Notes: Vijay Singh warmed up for the PGA Tour Champions opener by making the cut in the Sony Open at age 62 and finishing in a tie for 40th. ... The tournament has 13 sponsor exemptions. Among the recipients this year are former world No. 1 David Duval and former major champions Davis Love III, David Toms and Mike Weir. ... This is the 30th consecutive year Hualalai has hosted the season opener on the PGA Tour Champions. ... The 42-man field includes eight past champions on the Big Island, including Bernhard Langer and Miguel Angel Jimenez. They each have won the tournament three times. ... Langer, 68, failed to win on the PGA Tour Champions last year for the first time since he was eligible to join. He did, however, win on the Legends Tour in Europe. ... Seven players are making their debut at Hualalai, a list that includes Thomas Bjorn, Angel Cabrera and Boo Weekley. Cabrera won two senior majors last season.

Next tournament: Chubb Classic on Feb. 13-15.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

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THE BAHAMAS GREAT ABACO CLASSIC

Site: Great Abaco, Bahamas.

Course: The Abaco Club on Winding Bay. Yardage: 7,296. Par: 72.

Prize money: $1 million. Winner's share: $180,000.

Television: None (tournament ends Wednesday).

Previous winner: Sudarshan Yellamaraju.

Points leader: Taylor Dickson.

Last week: Taylor Dickson won the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic.

Next week: Panama Championship.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/

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Last tournament: Jeeno Thitikul won the CME Group Tour Championship.

Next tournament: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on Jan. 29-Feb. 1.

Race to CME Globe champion: Jeeno Thitikul.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

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PGA Tour of Australasia: Webex Players Series Victoria, Rosebud CC, Rosebud, Australia. Defending champion: Michael Wright. Online: https://golf.com.au/pga-tour

Sunshine Tour: Cell C Challenge, Killarney CC, Johannesburg. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf