The PGA Tour heads to California this week for a pro-am, the 2023 The American Express, and the tournament has drawn a surprisingly strong field. World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, Sentry Tournament of Champions winner Jon Rahm and Sony Open champion Si Woo Kim are part of a field that features 10 of the world's top 20 golfers. The three-course event tees off Thursday at 11:30 a.m. ET in La Quinta, Calif. and ends Sunday on the Stadium Course at PGA West.   

Rahm is the 13-2 favorite in the latest 2023 The American Express odds, followed by Scheffler (11-1), Patrick Cantlay (11-1) and Tony Finau (12-1). Among the other expected contenders in The American Express 2023 field are Xander Schauffele (16-1), Will Zalatoris (22-1), Tom Kim (22-1) and Sungjae Im (22-1). Si Woo Kim is priced at 35-1 to go back-to-back.  

Before you lock in any 2023 The American Express picks, make sure you check out the PGA Tour predictions and best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald.

After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. 

McDonald takes a measured approach to his outright selections and is having a profitable 2022-23 season. He just missed a MASSIVE 130-1 score last week when Hayden Buckley finished second at the Sony Open! He NAILED the Houston Open, backing Tony Finau to win at 25-1, and is up almost seven units on his plays overall. That's a profit of nearly $700 for $100 bettors! McDonald also has been on the money on his matchup plays and cashed in HUGE on Brendan Steele (80-1) as the first-round leader at the Zozo Championship.

The expert finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on his outright plays, including hitting Hudson Swafford (250-1) at last year's The American Express. Anyone who follows McDonald's advice has been cashing in!

Now, McDonald has sifted through the 2023 The American Express field for the best value and locked in his best bets and favorites to avoid. One thing we can tell you is that McDonald is fading Schauffele, who comes in among the top favorites! The Olympic gold medalist comes off an injury, but even if he's healthy, this course isn't an ideal fit for his skill set.  

Instead, McDonald is targeting three major long shots who come in at more than 60-1! One of these players had an excellent finish his last time in Palm Springs and has been in solid form. If this golfer can get his putter going and pull off the STUNNING victory, he would bring a MASSIVE payday for anyone who backs him! You ABSOLUTELY need to see who it is before locking in any The American Express 2023 picks of your own!

So which 2023 The American Express players should you target or avoid? And which golfer in The American Express 2023 field could could bring a massive payday of more than 60-1? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Patrick McDonald's top picks for the 2023 The American Express, all from the expert up almost $700 for the 2022-23 season, and find out!