If a golfer had played every PGA Tour regular season event, 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 these holes would have been ridiculously difficult, and others would have been tantalizingly simple.
Unsurprisingly, some of these easy holes are in the American Express tournament at La Quinta, a tournament notorious for low scores on its three courses. While some fans lament the low American Express scores, saying the pros should be challenged more, PGA Tour pros love coming to the desert to shape their games on smooth greens and wide fairways that favor low scores.
Because of the traditionally low scoring in the desert – 2024 winner Nick Dunlap shot 29 under par for 72 holes with a 12-under 60 in the third round – it’s no surprise that some of the tournament’s holes came up among the easiest of the Tour. In fact, six American Express holes were among the 25 lowest average holes in 2024.
No. 3, 11th hole, Nicklaus Tournament Course, PGA West
This par 5 is just 528 yards, and if a player hits the fairway and avoids the large mounds to the left of the landing area, it’s a pretty straightforward shot into the green. The average score on the hole was 4.200, more than three-quarters of a shot under par. Of all the short par 5s at American Express, this one is the easiest for pros.
No. 5, 11th hole, La Quinta Country Club
When people think of doable par-5s at La Quinta Country Club, they tend to think of back-to-back fifth and sixth holes. In fact, this 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, averaging 4.219 for 2024.
No. 12, sixth hole, La Quinta Country Club
La Quinta’s front nine 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 PGA Tour par-4s, this hole is once again typical of the course, with bunkers surrounding the green. But most pros will hit medium irons into a generous green, making for a 4.297 average for the hole this year.
No. 14, 13th hole, La Quinta Country Club
This 547-yard par-5 has a little more bite than some of the other par-5s on the course, even with a little dogleg to the right. But the second shot, played against the backdrop of the Santa Rosa Mountains, is still wide open for the pros. The average score for the 2024 American Express was 4.333.
No. 21, seventh hole, Nicklaus Tournament Course, PGA West
Another par 5 under 530 yards, this hole has an interesting green complex with a putting surface that slopes away from the player from front right to back left and with deep grassy areas protecting the back of the green . But the pros still managed the hole well with an average of 4.374.
No. 25, fifth hole, La Quinta Country Club
The first of back-to-back par 5s on La Quinta’s front nine, this hole’s 2024 average of 4.381 is a bit higher than the sixth hole’s, but by less than two-tenths of a stroke. The fairway curves to the right, but at just 516 yards it’s easy to see how pros can play the hole with a long 4 and be disappointed by a 5.
Not to be outdone, PGA West’s Pete Dye Stadium Course also had a relatively easy hole, with its par-5 eighth hole ranking 26th on the list with 4.386. The easiest hole on the PGA Tour in 2024 was the par-5 fifth hole at the Plantation Course at Kapalua, home of The Sentry season-opening event. This hole played to an average of 4.106. This year, one hundred and thirty-three par 4s on Tour achieved a higher scoring average.
That’s not to say there aren’t some tough holes in the American Express rotation, too. The 233-yard par-3 sixth hole at PGA West’s Stadium Course is actually among the 50 most difficult holes on Tour with an average of 3.251. Holes like the par-3 17th at Nicklaus Tournament Course and the par-4 second at La Quinta Country Club also played over par.
But if anyone is wondering why the scoring is so low at American Express, having six of the tournament’s par-5s among the lowest-scoring holes on the PGA Tour is certainly a good place to start.
This article was originally published on Golfweek: A golf tournament this year featured six of the easiest holes on the PGA Tour. Which?
