The PGA’s early-season “West Coast Swing” tees off with The American Express, also known as the Desert Classic. Established in 1960, the tournament takes place at PGA West, La Quinta, California. The 72 hole event will feature 156 players competing for a purse of $7.6 million with a winner’s share of 1.368 million.
The event is organized by the Phil Mickelson Foundation, and Phil Mickelson will be competing in this year’s tournament. 2021 tournament winner Si Woo Kim will return to compete against a talented field featuring 13 of the last 14 tournament champions.
Cord cutters can find out how to watch the American Express below.
Start Times and Channels
Golf Channel will be the home of the four-day tournament with Bob Papa providing play-by-play. He will be joined by analyst Trevor Immelman, Curt Byrum from the tower, with Billy Ray Brown and John Cook joining on the course.
Date | Tee-time (ET) | Channels |
Day 1 (Thursday, January 20) | 3-7:00 PM | Golf Channel |
Day 2 (Friday, January 21) | 3-7:00 PM | Golf Channel |
Day 3 (Saturday, January 22) | 3-7:00 PM | Golf Channel |
Day 4 (Sunday, January 23) | 3-7:00 PM | Golf Channel |
Expanded coverage will be provided by PGA Tour Live, which is available on ESPN+.
Thursdays | Fridays | Saturdays | Sundays | |
ESPN+ Main Feed | 7:30 AM – 3 PM | 7:30 AM – 3 PM | 8:30 AM – 1 PM | 8:30 AM – 1 PM |
ESPN+ Marquee Groups | 7:30 AM – 3 PM | 7:30 AM – 3 PM | 8:30 AM – 1 PM | 8:30 AM – 1 PM |
ESPN+ Featured Groups | 7:30 AM – 6 PM | 7:30 AM – 6 PM | 8:30 AM – 6 PM | 8:30 AM – 6 PM |
ESPN+ Featured Holes | 7:30 AM – 6 PM | 7:30 AM – 6 PM | 8:30 AM – 6 PM | 8:30 AM – 6 PM |
How to Watch The American Express?
The best part of cord cutting is that you can cancel at any time, as there aren’t any long-term commitments like cable or satellite. Oftentimes, streaming providers offer free trials so you can test the service out during an event like The American Express before your account is charged.
Below you can check and see if your streaming provider offers The American Express.
Watch The American Express on Sling TV
Starting at $46/mo., subscribers of Sling Blue with Sports Extra can watch all of The American Express coverage on Golf Channel.
Watch The American Express on Hulu + Live TV
For as low as $69.99, Hulu + Live TV is the perfect place to watch The American Express as it includes Golf Channel and more than 70 other channels. The streaming platform also includes DVR, Disney+, and ESPN+.
Watch The American Express on fuboTV
The world’s largest sports-oriented streaming service fuboTV includes Golf Channel in its Family plan for only $64.99/mo. With over 110 channels and DVR, fuboTV is one of the best values out there.
Watch The American Express on DIRECTV STREAM
For $95/mo., the Ultimate package provided by DIRECTV STREAM includes Golf Channel. On top of DVR, DIRECTV STREAM Ultimate includes three-month subscriptions to HBO Max, Starz, Cinemax, Showtime, and Epix, along with over 130 channels, so there’s something for everyone.
Watch the American Express on YouTube TV
For $64.99/mo., YouTube TV offers a complete package to watch all of the action live from Honolulu. Golf Channel is included along with 80 other channels, plus DVR, so you can record your favorite moments
Watch The American Express on PGA Tour Live on ESPN+
For $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year, ESPN+ subscribers get full access to PGA Tour Live. With PGA Tour Live, viewers can enjoy extended and expanded coverage on the course. The network will carry over 3,200 new hours of live streaming and over 4,300 exclusive hours total.
Upgrade to The Disney Bundle and enjoy PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, Hulu (Ad-Supported), and Disney+ for only $13.99/mo, or with Hulu (No Ads) for $19.99/mo.
Other Ways to Watch The American Express
All of this weekend’s golf action will be available to stream on NBCSports.com, GolfChannel.com, or the NBC Sports app with sign-in authentication.