Nothing could stop players from piling on the birdies in the second round of the 2024 American Express. La Quinta Country Club, the Nicklaus Tournament Course and the Stadium Course all played to an average around 4-under par, with the Nicklaus Tournament Course surrendering the round of the week to 36-hole leader Sam Burns.
Collecting seven birdies and a pair of eagles, Burns went around the par 72 in sizzling fashion en route to an 11-under 61. Burns flirted with the thought of a sub-60 round in the middle of his back nine thanks to a 6-under stretch over six holes but ultimately had to settle for the lowest round of his PGA Tour career.
“I think, based off the scores, obviously everybody’s shooting some good numbers, so I think just trying to keep pace and trying to hit as many quality shots and get as many looks as possible,” said Burns. “I think the greens are really good around La Quinta, and here, and Stadium, so I think it comes down to being able to make some key putts.”
For his efforts, Burns will head into the weekend at 17 under and with a one-stroke lead over Michael Kim, who is on the same course rotation as the pace setter. They are due to play the most challenging course tomorrow, the Stadium Course, along with six other players who currently reside inside the top 10, including Patrick Cantlay, Si Woo Kim and Eric Cole, all of whom are three adrift at 14 under.
This could lead to some shuffling atop the leaderboard and open the door for someone like amateur Nick Dunlap at 15 under. A winner of the U.S. Amateur and a member of the U.S. Walker Cup team this past summer, the Alabama standout looks to not only stick around after rounds of 64-65 but become the first amateur since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win on the PGA Tour.
Let’s take a look at their second-round performances and what to watch for on Saturday in Round 3.
The leader
1. Sam Burns (-17)
Burns’ presence atop the leaderboard is no surprise; he has developed a knack for these types of tournaments in his young career. In fields that feature top players — but not all of them — Burns is a consistent fixture and a certified closer. Quietly a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, the 27-year-old’s arrival in the winner’s circle would mark his sixth trip in his last 66 starts.
“I think [the approach is] just same thing,” Burns said regarding tomorrow’s round on the Stadium Course. “I played well around there in the past, so, hopefully, try to kind of build on that and go out there and just hit as many quality shots as possible, see if we can make some putts.”
Other contenders
2. Michael Kim (-16)
T3. K.H. Lee, Nick Dunlap (a) (-15)
T5. Patrick Cantlay, Eric Cole, Si Woo Kim, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Adam Hadwin, Alex Noren (-14)
The name on this list to keep an eye on is Cantlay. Mr. Consistent has been so good over the last year and came into this week ranked second to Scottie Scheffler in seemingly every tee-to-green metric. Despite heading to the Stadium Course in Round 3, Cantlay has taken a liking to the Pete Dye design in the past when he nearly chased down Kim in the final round of the 2021 tournament with a course round 11-under 61 on Sunday. He’s been ultra-steady with rounds of 64-66, and a mirrored effort over the last 36 may be enough to notch Cantlay his first victory since the 2022 BMW Championship.
La Quinta starters race out in front
There is a bit of a mini trend surfacing at the American Express that centers around those players who begin the tournament on La Quinta CC. Four of the last seven winners have gone from La Quinta to the Nicklaus Tournament Course to the Stadium Course. Through 36 holes, that fraction may grow to five out of the last eight with 14 of the top 25 players on the leaderboard on this rotation.
Get used to this name
Golf fans will be seeing Nick Dunlap on their televisions plenty in 2024. He is not only on the first page of the leaderboard through 36 holes at the American Express, but he also plans to play in next week’s Farmers Insurance Open and is already in the Masters thanks to his U.S. Amateur victory. Only a sophomore at Alabama, Dunlap’s results do not yet count towards the PGA Tour University rankings, which granted Ludvig Åberg full-time status last year.
That said, there is an accelerated version of this program that has already been achieved by his Walker Cup teammate, Gordon Sargent. In order to reach the PGA Tour through the accelerated program, players must reach a 20-point requirement set by the program. A win would suffice as well, but just in case he doesn’t pull through this weekend, Dunlap is currently in possession of 11 and could add to his total in the following ways:
- Win NCAA Championship (3 points)
- Win Haskins Award (3 points)
- Win Hogan Award (3 points)
- Win Nicklaus Award (3 points)
- Reach No. 1 or No. 2 in World Amateur Golf Ranking (1 point each)
- Finish top 20 in a major (2 points)
- Make a start in a major (1 point)
- Make cut in a major (1 point)
- Finish top 10 in a PGA Tour event (1 point)
- Make cut in a PGA Tour event (1 point)
Example: If Dunlap finishes 12th at the Masters later this year, he would receive four points for (1) making a major start, (2) making a major cut and (3+4) finishing inside the top 20.
2024 American Express updated odds and picks
- Sam Burns: 7/2
- Patrick Cantlay: 6-1
- Eric Cole: 9-1
- Adam Hadwin: 12-1
- Michael Kim: 12-1
- Min Woo Lee: 12-1
- K.H. Lee: 16-1
- Si Woo Kim: 18-1
- Nick Dunlap: 20-1
- Alex Noren: 25-1
- Scottie Scheffler: 25-1
He isn’t among the favorites, but Sungjae Im sits at 11 under and at 45-1 with La Quinta CC on deck for his third round. After a middling start to his day, Im got it going with five birdies in his final 10 holes at the Stadium Course to get him within six of the lead. Burns will be difficult to overcome given the temperature of his putter, but if it does cool ever so slightly then someone like Im, who is playing great golf and on the easiest golf course in Round 3, will be able to make up significant ground.