The PGA Tour starts its California Swing at the American Express (AmEx). It is the only event played across three courses: Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, La Quinta Country Club, and Pete Dye Stadium Course. That means the notorious Alcatraz—the 17th-hole island green surrounded by rocks—awaits.

Yes, you’re right. This is where a PGA Tour winner’s shot bounced off his leg and plunged into the water. Watch the hilarious but painful moment here. Nevertheless, 156 pros and amateurs tackle each layout once in the first 54 holes, then the Stadium Course hosts the final round comprising the low 65 and ties.

La Quinta Country Club (Par 72, 7,060 yards):

Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course (Par 72, 7,147 yards):

Pete Dye Stadium Course (Par 72, 7,210 yards):

Storylines:

Five of the world’s top 10 and 12 of the top 25 pros have landed at La Quinta. Scottie Scheffler will kick off his season here at AmEx in his 141st straight week as World No. 1 (Tiger Woods spent 281 weeks between 2005 and 2010).

Meanwhile, Sepp Straka returns to defend his title, something no one has been able to accomplish since Johnny Miller in 1976. But Sam Burns (two top-10s in the last five starts at AmEx) and Ben Griffin (T7 in 2025 and T9 in 2024) will threaten Straka’s shot at history. All in all, it’s going to be an exciting week, and you can expect more detailed coverage from us in the coming days.

The news: Rory McIlroy has challenged Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton to pay their DP World Tour fines. Reason? The Americans. Or to be more precise, to show the American pros that Europeans are actually ready to pay (and not get paid) to be a part of the Ryder Cup.

Here is Rory’s full comment and (some more) venting about the absurdity of Rahm and Hatton’s resistance.

The nuance: Rahm and Hatton's LIV defection will cost them around $6M in fines before the 2027 Ryder Cup. They were an integral part of the European squad last year, and their absence will be felt at Adare Manor. Not to mention, we’ll be deprived of very literal and practical fart jokes like this one below.

Interestingly, Hatton and McIlroy are paired for the first two rounds at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic this week. The Englishman de-escalated the verbal warfare very tactfully, as you can see. But another Englishman had a more nuanced take.

This former PGA Tour pro, despite his beef with Rory, chimed in with a curious solution — check it out here.

Nevertheless, the Ulsterman’s point remains clear: it’s easier if Rahm and Hatton pay the fines instead of a protracted legal battle. The odds are in favor of the DPWT anyway, given the 2023 verdict. Now, they can surely afford the hefty penalty. But Rahm vehemently rejects the rationale behind it.

However, time is ticking. And their options are drying up. It might just come to a point where both of them decide to pay up to retain their cards and play the Ryder Cup.

The first rule of the Stadium Course is that you do not hit the par-5 16th greenside bunker. No matter what. Ignore the warning, and you'll card a 13 like this PGA Tour rookie on the dastardly hole. Here's how to dodge a similar fate:

1. Lay up short of the green if you're not confident. The left side slips into this deep bunker, so pin-high shots get rejected straight down.

2. But if you end up here, dig your feet as deep as possible into the sand for a stable, low base. Grab a 56-degree wedge (or similar). Open the face wide, aim for a quick, high pop-up with max speed.

3. Target the edge of the green instead of the flagstick. You've already made a mistake being down there, so commit fully. Watch noted broadcaster Johnson Wagner hit a “skull shank” and still reach about five feet from the pin.

The 16th at PGA West is just one of many infamous bunkers on the PGA Tour schedule. Here are five more and how you can survive them.

Göbekli Tepe. Cappadocia. Derinkuyu. Not random names. These Turkish historical gems are on Viktor Hovland's bucket list. Sure, he's teeing off in Dubai this week, but he can't quit dreaming of devouring chicken tikka masala, laughing about fans mocking his single life… yes. He also dropped some advice to improve your game and explained why the USA is better than Norway. And vice versa.

But he also played ‘Build the Player.’ Driving prowess? Rory. Approach play? Scottie. Short game? Hideki Matsuyama. Watch the clip to understand why he picked Hideki.

Viktor’s very curious. That’s why he loves ruminating about what the deal is with aliens. Or, driving six hours for a UFO sighting in Norway. Yep. Here’s the hilarious tale Rory spilled last year.