Why is there no cut for the 2023 American Express tournament on Friday

The 2023 American Express PGA TOUR event takes place this week in Coachella Valley, California, from Thursday, January 19 through Sunday, January 22. This is a full-field event, but there is no Friday cut after the first 36 holes. However, that isn’t to say there is no cut — in this unique event, there will be a cut for the first 65 golfers and ties after the first 54 holes, or Saturday play.

Why is this? The American Express takes place over three different courses in La Quinta: the PGA West Stadium Course, the La Quinta Country Club, and the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course. Each golfer will get a chance to play each course before the cut, and Sunday play will take place on the hardest of the three courses — the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course.

The field includes 10 of the OWGR top 20, featuring Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm. This is also a pro-am tournament. The amateurs will play alongside the pros, but they won’t team up. Instead, the amateurs will compete in their own 54-hole competition over the three courses, but Sunday will be left to the pros.