Surprising American Express leader joins JT, Xander Schauffe with rare feat
01/17/2025 08:50 AM
The American Express is off and running in Palm Springs this week. The PGA Tour is coming off two exciting events in Hawaii and now hits the West Coast swing. In the first round at PGA West, JT Poston took an unexpected lead at 10-under. That round put him in the same realm as Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele in recent history, per Justin Ray of Twenty First Group.
“JT Poston opens The American Express with 62,” Ray posted on social media. “It’s his 6th round of 62 or lower on Tour since the beginning of 2019. Only 2 players – Xander Schauffele (7) and Justin Thomas (7) have more in that span.”
These great rounds have not turned into a ton of victories for Poston. He has three wins, three runner-ups, and three third-place finishes in his career. While not every round of 62 can turn into a victory, Poston should take advantage at The American Express.
The tournament takes place at three different courses at PGA West in Palm Springs. Poston took the lead while playing The Nicklaus Tournament Course. That is the only time he will play there this week so he took advantage of the track. Friday will be a much bigger test when he plays the Pete Dye Stadium Course. That is where the final round is played.
The American Express gets off to a hot start
Poston was far from the only player to post a low round on Thursday at The American Express. Justin Lower shot 63 at La Quinta Country Club, the lowest on that course. And Nick Taylor, Carson Young, and Jackson Suber all shot seven-under at the Stadium Course. That sets up for a fascinating Friday as they look to take advantage of new courses.
When watching the PGA Tour today, do not expect the traditional Friday cut. Everyone at The American Express plays three rounds before a 54-hole cut. So no one will be going home before playing every course and we learned Thursday that low numbers can be found on all three tracks.
Blades Brown is one of the biggest stories of The American Express. The 17-year-old is making his professional debut in Palm Springs and is off to a decent start. He shot 72, even par, at the La Quinta course. He is well below the projected cut but has two rounds to fix the problems before the cut.
The American Express rolls on in Palm Springs on Friday.
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