If a golfer played every event in the PGA Tour’s regular season, starting with The Sentry in Hawaii in January and ending with the Tour Championship in Atlanta In August, he would have played 828 different holes. Some of those holes would have been ridiculously tough, and others would have been mouth-wateringly easy.
Not surprisingly, some of those easy holes are in The American Express tournament in La Quinta, a tournament noted for its low scoring on all three of its courses. While some fans lament the low scoring at The American Express, saying the pros should be challenged more, the pros on the PGA Tour love coming to the desert to get their games in shape on smooth greens and wide fairways that promote low scoring.
Because of the traditional low scoring in the desert — 2024 winning Nick Dunlap shot 29-under par for 72 holes with a 12-under 60 in his third round — it can’t be a surprise that some of the tournament holes showed up among the easiest on the Tour. In fact, six holes in The American Express were among the 25 holes with the lowest scoring averages in 2024.
No. 3, 11th hole, Nicklaus Tournament Course, PGA West
This par-5 measures just 528 yards, and if a player hits the fairway and avoids large mounds to the left of the landing area, it’s a pretty simple shot into the green. The scoring average on the hole was 4.200, or more than three-quarters of a shot under par. Of all the short par-5s in The American Express, this one is the easiest for the pros.
No. 5, 11th hole, La Quinta Country Club
When people think of scoreable par-5s at La Quinta Country Club, they tend to think of the back-to-back fifth and sixth holes. In reality, this very straight 543-yard hole was the easiest on the course in 2024. Four bunkers surround the green, but the front of the green is open and inviting, with a 4.219 scoring average for 2024.
No. 12, sixth hole, La Quinta Country Club
The front nine at La Quinta is where players tend to score the lowest on the course, and this 527-yard par-5 is part of the reason. Not much longer than some par-4s on the PGA Tour, this hole is again typical of the course, with bunkers ringing the green. But most pros will be hitting mid-irons into the generous green, accounting for a 4.297 scoring average for the hole this year.
No. 14, 13th hole, La Quinta Country Club
This 547-yard par-5 has a few more teeth than some of the other par-5s on the course, with even a bit of a dogleg to the right. But the second shot,…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…