Long-Time PGA Tour Event's Future 'Up in the Air' With Schedule Changes Looming

The American Express has been played since 1960, and the event's executive director discussed the tournament's future, with the PGA Tour considering starting its season after the Super Bowl.

Sepp Straka won the 2025 American Express at La Quinta Country Club in Palm Springs. / Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

“We control what we can control.”

That was Pat McCabe, the executive director of the PGA Tour’s American Express tournament, speaking to the Palm Springs Desert Sun about looming schedule changes that could bring an end to the long-time event. 

New PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp and the circuit’s Future Competition Committee, led by Tiger Woods, have promised an overhaul of the Tour and its schedule as soon as 2027. Last month, Tour player Harris English dropped a bombshell that the season could begin after the Super Bowl, with the possibility of the season being cut down from the current 44 events. 

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But for tournaments potentially on the chopping block, it’s business as usual—for now. 

“I honestly don’t know,” McCabe said. “We have a contract in place with the golf course and the hotel to stage [the tournament] in our week. I think it’s just everything is up in the air. Yes, we heard what Harris said a few weeks ago. I think he was just spewing, honestly. He knows those guys and he’s talking in hypothetical.”

The American Express, best known as the Bob Hope Desert Classic, has been played since 1960, boasting champions such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, Johnny Miller and Phil Mickelson. It has annually been played in January as part of the Tour’s West Coast Swing. 

However, considering Rolapp was previously the NFL’s chief media and business officer, the PGA Tour has been trying to move away from coinciding with football. 

“We’re trying to figure out what is the best schedule possible so we can create the best fields and have the most viewership and also the most fan involvement,” Woods said ahead of last week’s Hero World Challenge. “Looking at different timetables of when we start and finish, different tentpoles throughout the year and what that might look like.”

If that eventually happens, events like the American Express, along with the Hawaii stops and the Farmers Insurance Open, could dissolve, abandoning historic events and courses. 

The American Express’s sponsorship deal runs through 2028. And several years ago, there was turbulence with the Tour’s Palm Springs stop finding someone to back the event. Now stabilized with American Express, the hope is that the tournament will overcome uncertainty once again.  

“Sixty-seven years of history, iconic venue in PGA West, all the history that has taken place here, the Skins Games, the old Bob Hope,” McCabe said. “I think we all know a couple of years there, 2018, 2019 here, [we were] struggling a little bit, right? Changing title sponsors every year and kind of wondering who was going to be the sponsor. We always asked the question.

“But since AmEx came on board in 2020, you’ve got increased charitable dollars, increased economic impact, you’ve got a title sponsor that is investing in sport.”

The 2026 American Express will be the second tournament of the year, being played from Jan. 22-25.