Overview
- First-round play begins Thursday, Jan. 22, with live coverage starting at 11:30 a.m. ET each day on the ESPN App and streaming hub.
- The pro-am uses a three-course rotation—PGA WEST’s Stadium Course and Nicklaus Tournament Course plus La Quinta Country Club—with the cut after 54 holes and Sunday’s finish on the Stadium Course.
- Scottie Scheffler makes his 2026 season debut and enters as the betting favorite at roughly +300, according to major sportsbooks cited by CBS Sports.
- Defending champion Sepp Straka returns after winning at 25-under last year, and a deep lineup features multiple top-ranked players, including Will Zalatoris in his first start since a back layoff and event debutants such as Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Åberg.
- The purse is $9.2 million with about $1.65 million to the winner and 500 FedExCup points at stake, and scoring historically trends very low across the rotation even as the Stadium Course has played tougher since its 2024 renovation.