American Express storylines: No. 1 Scottie Scheffler tops strong field and who could shoot 59?

As the PGA Tour returns to the Coachella Valley for the 65th annual The American Express, here are five storylines to watch for this week:

Strong field will tee it up

Numbers can be deceiving when it comes to the Official World Golf Rankings and strength of field. Last year The American Express boasted 10 of the top 19 players in the rankings. This year, the number is 10 of the top 25, but officials believe the field is just as strong as last year.

Wyndham Clark, for instance, is 10th in the world ranking after winning the U.S. Open, though he also participated in the desert in 2023. Rickie Fowler has worked his way back into the top 25, and players like Justin Thomas and Shane Lowry are in the field this year, bringing major championship credentials with them.

In all, 12 of the top 30 and 20 of the top 50 in the world rankings are playing in La Quinta this week, pretty strong for a non-signature event. Three of the top six players in the world headline the field, including No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 5 Patrick Cantlay and No. 6 Xander Schauffele.

No defending champion

Okay, by now everyone knows that Jon Rahm, who won The American Express in 2018 and 2023, is not in the field to defend that title this year. Rahm took lots of money to head to the LIV Tour, earning him a suspension from the PGA Tour. So he will not defend his three 2023 wins on the West Coast Swing this year.

But the tournament has faced this situation twice before, with Hudson Swafford not playing in 2023 because of a jump to the LIV Tour and in 2001 when Jesper Parnevik didn’t make it to the first tee because his wife was having a baby.

The American Express survived those first two absentee defenders, and it will survive this year. In the years with no defenders, the winners were Joe Durant in 2001 with a PGA Tour record 36-under par in a five-round event and, well, Jon Rahm last year.

More: Major champions Justin Thomas, Wyndham Clark added to field of The American Express

The golf courses

The Pete Dye Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament courses at PGA West and La Quinta Country Club will be in the tournament rotation for the eighth consecutive year, and that stability is a strong point for an event that offers the pros three guaranteed rounds on well-manicured greens.

Course conditions have been a focal point entering the 2024 event, since PGA West struggled through some difficult conditions with its Stadium Course last year. This year both the Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament courses look to be in wonderful shape, joining the always-appreciated La Quinta Country Club and its great greens. Golfers love smooth and fast greens early in the year.

The chase for 59

The American Express is one of the PGA Tour events that has seen multiple 59s shot on its courses, in 1999 by David Duval at the Palmer Course at PGA West and in 2017 by Adam Hadwin at La Quinta Country Club.

The desert tournament is always ripe for a 59, but it has been seven years since anyone shot that magic number in The American Express.

With prime course conditions and PGA Tour golfers seemingly getting slightly better every year, is it possible 2024 sees a third 59 in the event? La Quinta Country Club might again be the best spot for a 59 if someone starts, say, 7 under through seven holes. But all three courses can yield low scores.

The comeback kids

Two golfers who were in The American Express field in 2023 were household names but hadn’t actually won tournaments on the PGA Tour in a while. Those two golfers -- Rickie Fowler (last win in 2019) and Jason Day (last win in 2018) -- both return to the desert after ending their winless droughts last year.

Toss in Justin Thomas, who played well enough in 2023 even without a victory to secure a Ryder Cup berth, and you have three interesting players on the comeback trail all playing in a tournament where they can shoot low scores and maybe get the next important victory.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: American Express storylines: Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay top field