The PGA Tour’s first mainland tournament of 2026 is heading to the second round on Friday.
The 156-man field doesn’t have to sweat out a 36-hole cut today since the American Express uses three golf courses and doesn’t whittle the field down until after everyone has played each course at least once. Then, on Saturday night, there’s a 54-hole cut to set the stage for the final round Sunday.
Follow along right here all day Friday for live leaderboard updates, highlights, round recaps and more from the 2026 American Express.
American Express 2026 leaderboard
Check tee times and keep tabs on every score being carded at the 2026 American Express with the live leaderboard. Here’s what it looked like at the top as of 1:20 p.m. ET Friday:
POSPLAYERSCORETHRUT1S.W. Kim-126T1S.H. Kim-125T3S. Scheffler-116*T3J. Bridgeman-113*T3J. Day-113*T6B. Griffin-101
(* indicates player started on back nine)
“Sit down! . . . Never mind!” We’ve all been there, Isaiah.
Koreans Si Woo Kim and S.H. Kim are tied for the lead at 12 under as of 1:20 p.m. ET on Friday at the American Express. Si Woo made an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole on the Pete Dye Stadium Course, while S.H. made birdie on three of his first four holes on the Nicklaus Tournament Course to get his second round started. They sit one shot ahead of a three-way tie for second at 11 under between Jason Day, Jacob Bridgeman and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
S.H. Kim was in the mix for a good portion of last week’s Sony Open and he’s once again put himself in a great position early in the second round, making three birdies in his first four holes on the Nicklaus Tournament Course to grab the solo lead as of 1 p.m. ET. He’s 12 under, one shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler, who sits in solo second.
Scottie Scheffler started on the back nine of the Nicklaus Tournament Course and made birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 to jumpstart his second round. As of 12:45 p.m. ET, he’s in a tie for the lead at 11 under with S.H. Kim, who birdied his first two holes of the day on the front nine of the Nicklaus course.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has teed off for his second round, fresh off a bogey-free, 9-under 63 on the opening day at La Quinta Country Club. Scheffler is playing the Nicklaus Tournament Course on Friday, where he made par on the first hole and birdie on the second to get his day started. With that birdie, he joined a four-way tie for the lead with S.H. Kim, Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody at 10 under as of 12:10 p.m. ET.
Where to watch, follow the American Express 2026
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Who’s winning the American Express?
After 18 holes, there’s two guys tied for the lead: Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody. Each golf shot a 10-under 62 to set the pace. There’s a gaggle of golfers a shot back at 9 under, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who is making his 2026 season debut.
What are the golf courses used at the American Express 2026?
The AmEx is played on three courses in La Quinta, California: The Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West, the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West and La Quinta Country Club. Each golfer plays one round at each of the three over the first three rounds. Then, there’s a 54-hole cut with only those surviving moving on to Sunday’s final round at the Stadium Course.
What’s the prize money breakdown at the American Express?
The total purse for the 2026 American Express is $9.2 million. See the breakdown of the entire payout here. The winner of the AmEx receives $1.656 million, or 18 percent of the total purse.