Charley Hoffman & Rico Hoey leading in California

The American Express R2

Charley Hoffman made a single bogey and shot a 9-under 63 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course, his lowest round on Tour since the 2023 RSM Classic, to take a share of the lead at 16-under at The American Express.

“I was hitting fairways and then I was able to attack into the greens, hitting some wedge shots close and obviously making a few putts,” said the American. “It’s one of those golf courses if you keep the ball in front of you, you can attack some of those pins. If you don’t, you’re not able to. I was able to make a few putts hit some wedges close and it all added up to a 63.

“This is paradise if you like golf. Unfortunately, I have a lot of bad memories being here too, playing Q-Schools and not playing as good as I wanted to, but I started early in my career playing a lot of Q-Schools out here in the desert. But it’s nice to come out and start your year here. Good practice facilities, good weather, and you can hone your skills in a little bit more than the off-season winter.”

Hoffman’s 128 total marks his career-best opening 36-hole score on the PGA Tour where he has won four times so far in 516 starts, the first at The American Express in 2007 when it was still called the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and most recently at the 2016 Valero Texas Open.

The Philippines’ Rico Hoey also shot a 63 having made one bogey playing at the Nicklaus Tournament Course and matched his career-low round on Tour shot at last year’s American Express.

“I wish we were playing like four rounds out here,” said Hoey. “But, yeah, I just like Nicklaus, I played a lot of junior events out here, so just feels like I’m home and just, yeah, it’s great. Weather’s awesome, so we don’t really have too many tough conditions with the wind and whatnot. Made it a lot easier to score.”

Austrian Sepp Straka is one of three players still bogey-free after 36-holes (Sam Burns/T20, Taylor Moore/T31). He sits in a share of third place at 15-under alongside Americans Justin Lower (66) and Mark Hubbard (bogey-free, 64).

Nick Taylor, who won at last week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, sits in T8 three strokes off the lead. The last player to win in back-to-back starts on Tour was Rory McIlroy (2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 2024 Truist Championship).

First-round leader J.T. Poston closed with a 4-over 76 on the Stadium Course and moved down into T58 at 6-under.

*

The American Express, the third event of the 2025  Season and second Full-Field Event, marks the second opportunity for players to earn FedExCup points towards the Aon Swing 5 with entry into each of the next two Signature Events (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, The Genesis Invitational).

The Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5 are eligibility pathways for players, not already qualified, to play their way into Signature Events via the FedExCup standings.

The top five players, not otherwise exempt, who earn the most FedExCup points during the Sony Open in Hawaii, The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open will qualify for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, while the top five players not otherwise exempt who earn the most FedExCup points during those three events and the WM Phoenix Open, will qualify for The Genesis Invitational.

The Aon Next 10 for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational was determined through the 2024 FedExCup Fall standings.

Pos.PlayerTo ParR1R2Total
T1Charley Hoffman(NT)-166563128
T1Rico Hoey(NT)-166563128
T3Justin Lower(NT)-156366129
T3Mark Hubbard(SC)-156564129
T3Sepp Straka(SC)-156564129
T6Jason Day(NT)-146466130
T6J.J. Spaun(NT)-146466130
T8Nick Taylor(LQ)-136566131
T8Justin Thomas(NT)-136764131
T8Rickie Fowler(NT)-136962131
T11Patrick Cantlay(NT)-126864132
T11Doug Ghim(NT)-126864132
T11Will Zalatoris(NT)-126666132
T14Ryan Palmer(NT)-116667133
T14Michael Thorbjornsen(NT)-116568133
T14Sam Ryder(NT)-116766133
T14Carson Young(LQ)-116568133
T14Harry Higgs(SC)-116568133
T14Quade Cummins(NT)-116667133
T20Harry Hall(SC)-106668134
T20Chris Kirk(NT)-106470134
T20Billy Horschel(NT)-106668134
T20Matthew Riedel(SC)-106866134
T20Rikuya Hoshino(NT)-106767134
T20Matteo Manassero(NT)-106866134
T20Keith Mitchell(NT)-106668134
T20Camilo Villegas(NT)-107262134
T20Vincent Norrman(LQ)-106866134
T20Sam Burns(NT)-106866134
T20John Pak(NT)-106767134
T31Ben Kohles(NT)-97065135
T31Daniel Berger(SC)-96867135
T31Jesper Svensson(LQ)-96867135
T31Taylor Moore(SC)-96768135
T31Isaiah Salinda(NT)-96768135
T31Joel Dahmen(SC)-96471135
T31Ben Griffin(SC)-96669135
T31Max Greyserman(NT)-96966135
T31Tony Finau(NT)-96966135
T40Cam Davis(LQ)-86967136
T40Zach Johnson(NT)-86967136
T40Kurt Kitayama(NT)-86967136
T40Beau Hossler(SC)-86670136
T40Lee Hodges(SC)-86670136
T40Blades Brown(NT)-87264136
T40Nick Dunlap(NT)-86769136
T47Matt Kuchar(LQ)-77166137
T47Eric Cole(NT)-76869137
T47Frankie Capan III(SC)-76968137
T47Alex Smalley(LQ)-76869137
T47Nico Echavarria(NT)-76968137
T47Francesco Molinari(SC)-76770137
T47Jeremy Paul(NT)-76869137
T47Ryo Hisatsune(SC)-76770137
T47Matti Schmid(SC)-76473137
T47Tim Widing(NT)-77067137
T47Kevin Roy(LQ)-77166137
T58Taylor Montgomery(LQ)-67266138
T58Brice Garnett(SC)-66969138
T58Davis Thompson(NT)-66969138
T58Sami Valimaki(SC)-66771138
T58Henrik Norlander(SC)-66771138
T58Chez Reavie(LQ)-67167138
T58Victor Perez(SC)-66969138
T58Brandt Snedeker(NT)-66870138
T58Sam Stevens(LQ)-67266138
T58J.T. Poston(SC)-66276138
T58Si Woo Kim(NT)-66870138
T58Mackenzie Hughes(LQ)-67068138
T58Will Gordon(SC)-66969138
T58Noah Goodwin(NT)-66969138
T58Greyson Sigg(NT)-66969138
T58Vince Whaley(NT)-67068138
T58Tom Hoge(SC)-66969138
T58Harris English(LQ)-67068138
T58Alejandro Tosti(SC)-66573138
T58Lanto Griffin(LQ)-67167138
T78Adam Hadwin(NT)-56970139
T78Patton Kizzire(LQ)-57267139
T78Takumi Kanaya(LQ)-57267139
T78Trey Mullinax(LQ)-56871139
T78Kris Ventura(LQ)-57267139
T78Patrick Rodgers(LQ)-57267139
T78Rafael Campos(NT)-56871139
T78Peter Malnati(NT)-57168139
T78Matt McCarty(LQ)-57069139
T78Brian Campbell(SC)-57069139
T78Jacob Bridgeman(LQ)-57069139
T78Joe Highsmith(LQ)-57564139
T78Brian Harman(SC)-56871139
T78Ryan Gerard(SC)-56772139
T78Ricky Castillo(LQ)-57267139
T93Nate Lashley(SC)-47169140
T93Chad Ramey(SC)-46773140
T93Michael Kim(SC)-46773140
T93Mac Meissner(SC)-47169140
T93Wyndham Clark(NT)-47169140
T93Kaito Onishi(NT)-47070140
T93Luke List(LQ)-47268140
T93Kevin Yu(LQ)-46971140
T93Braden Thornberry(NT)-47169140
T102Ben Martin(SC)-36675141
T102Andrew Putnam(LQ)-37368141
T102Danny Walker(SC)-36873141
T102Chan Kim(LQ)-37566141
T102Nick Hardy(LQ)-37368141
T102Norman Xiong(SC)-37071141
T102Patrick Fishburn(NT)-37269141
T109Trevor Cone(SC)-26775142
T109Taylor Dickson(NT)-27171142
T109Anders Albertson(LQ)-27369142
T109David Skinns(SC)-26775142
T109Aaron Baddeley(LQ)-27468142
T109Tom Kim(LQ)-27369142
T109Sungjae Im(LQ)-27765142
T109Christiaan Bezuidenhout(LQ)-27468142
T109Jackson Suber(LQ)-26577142
T109Kevin Streelman(NT)-27072142
T109Chris Gotterup(SC)-26775142
T109Adam Svensson(SC)-27171142
T109Emiliano Grillo(LQ)-27666142
T122Chandler Phillips(SC)-17073143
T122Bill Haas(LQ)-17370143
T122Cameron Young(SC)-16974143
T122Jhonattan Vegas(SC)-17172143
T122Lucas Glover(LQ)-17370143
T122Erik van Rooyen(LQ)-17172143
T122Zac Blair(LQ)-17370143
T122Aldrich Potgieter(NT)-17172143
T130David Lipsky(SC)Par7272144
T130Jake Knapp(SC)Par7371144
T130K.H. Lee(SC)Par7074144
T130Ben Silverman(LQ)Par7272144
T130Kyle Mendoza(LQ)Par7668144
T130Max McGreevy(SC)Par7074144
T136Jason Dufner(SC)+17075145
T136Bronson Burgoon(LQ)+17174145
T136Danny Willett(SC)+17174145
T136Hayden Buckley(SC)+17075145
T136Mason Andersen(LQ)+17273145
T141Paul Peterson(LQ)+27670146
T141Antoine Rozner(SC)+26779146
T141Kevin Kisner(NT)+27175146
T141Wesley Bryan(LQ)+27571146
T141Kevin Velo(LQ)+27670146
T141Thomas Rosenmueller(LQ)+27769146
T147Steven Fisk(SC)+37374147
T147Will Chandler(LQ)+37572147
T149Philip Knowles(LQ)+47870148
T149Chesson Hadley(SC)+46880148
T149Andrew Novak(NT)+47573148
152William Mouw(SC)+56881149
153Davis Riley(LQ)+118075155
154Cristobal Del Solar(SC)+137582157
W/DAdam Schenk-74-74
W/DBrendon Todd-7672148
Updated: January 18, 2025
The American Express 2025
Date: 16th January - 19th January, 2025
Location: La Quinta CC(LQ)/Pete Dye Stadium Course (SC)/Nicklaus Tournament Course (NT)
Purse: $8,800,000