J.T. Poston goes 10 under for a
1-shot lead among the usual low scores at The American Express
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 [January 17, 2025]
By GREG BEACHAM
LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — J.T. Poston shot a 10-under 62 to take a
one-stroke lead over Justin Lower in the opening round of The
American Express on Thursday.
Poston carded nine birdies and an eagle on the Nicklaus Tournament
Course at PGA West in the Palm Springs-area desert. Lower was one
stroke ahead of an 8-under pack that included Jason Day, Joel Dahmen,
Chris Kirk, J.J. Spaun and Matti Schmid.
Poston excels on the three mostly generous courses used for this
event, finishing tied for sixth at The American Express in 2023 and
tied for 11th last year. The North Carolina native has also done
well in other deserts, winning in Las Vegas last fall.
“When I feel like I’m really hitting it good, I feel like I’ve got
all the shots and can get the ball close to the hole and really take
advantage of those scoring clubs,” said Poston, a three-time PGA
Tour winner. “I feel like I can go out there and make a bunch of
birdies like I did today, so a tournament like this sort of plays
into that.”
Lower shot a bogey-free 63 at La Quinta that included consecutive
eagles.
“I’ve never done that,” he said. “I don’t even think I’ve done it in
just a regular round, but let alone a tournament round. Yeah, any
time you can make back-to-back eagles, it certainly helps the
score.”
Canadian Nick Taylor built on his victory in the Sony Open last
Sunday with a 65 at the Pete Dye Stadium Course. Tony Finau was 7
under, while Justin Thomas shot 67 and Patrick Cantlay shot 68.
Blades Brown, the 17-year-old prodigy playing on a sponsor
exemption, shot 72 in his first round as a professional. After
bogeying his second hole and double-bogeying his third, the high
school junior from Nashville, Tennessee, calmed down and strung
together three consecutive birdies before finishing with 12 straight
pars.
“It was challenging the first couple of holes, just because my
adrenaline was up,” Brown said. “Whenever that happens, I hit the
ball super far, so our distances weren’t going exactly what we
thought they were going to go. Then a poor shot on hole 3 left me in
the hazard, unfortunately. I was able to battle back, and I was
super pumped about that.”
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Nick Dunlap prepares to putt on the first green at La Quinta Country
Club Course during the first round of the American Express golf
tournament in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP
Photo/William Liang)
The American Express is the third event of the new
PGA Tour season and one of only two pro-ams on the calendar, a
carryover from the event’s long history as the Bob Hope Desert
Classic.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler planned to play, but he dropped out 10
days ago to give his right hand injury more time to heal.
Defending champion Nick Dunlap shot a 67 at La Quinta in his return
to the tournament where he became the first amateur in 33 years to
win on the PGA Tour.
“It’s nice to be back,” Dunlap said earlier this week. “It’s nice to
know where I’m going for the first week (as a pro). I don’t have to
find everything for the first time.”
Now 21, Dunlap turned pro one week after winning in the desert and
jumped straight from the camaraderie and cloistered life of the
Alabama golf team into the cauldron of the PGA Tour. Although he
struggled in stretches, he was eventually named the tour's rookie of
the year after collecting another win at the Barracuda Championship
in Truckee, California.
“I would definitely say it was overwhelming,” Dunlap said. “I had a
lot of stuff happen, whether it’s on the golf course or off the golf
course, that it all came at me pretty quick, and some of it I was
ready for, some of it I wasn’t, and got blindsided a little bit. My
life got sped up a little bit, and in a good way. I’m out here, I’m
living my dream, and wouldn’t change it for anything, but it all
doesn’t just happen easy or smoothly.”
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