With 10 birdies and one bogey on the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West, Hoffman fired a 9-under 63 to reach 16-under 128 for two rounds. That’s tied for the lead with Rico Hoey, who shot his own 63 on the Nicklaus Course.

Sepp Straka won The American Express by two shots over Justin Thomas on Sunday, finishing his third career PGA Tour victory at 25-under 263 with a final-round 70.

In the second round of The American Express 2025, both Charley Hoffman and Rico Hoey carded a 9-under 63 to get to 16-under overall, placing them in a tie for the lead heading into the weekend.

The win earned the 31-year-old Straka his first title since the 2023 John Deere Classic and the $1,584,000 first-place check, the largest of his career.

The 31-year-old Austrian won the American Express at PGA West without carding a bogey until the 70th hole of the tournament.

Straka, one of more than a dozen active PGA Tour players from the University of Georgia, followed up his third-round 64 with a 70 on Sunday at the Stadium Course and at 25-under-par 263 won The American Express by two shots over Justin Thomas (66).

Straka’s round at La Quinta in many ways was the reverse of what might have been expected. Playing the back nine first, Straka made six birdies on the way to a 30, the kind of score generally associated with the front nine at the course that opened in 1959.

Charley Hoffman won The American Express golf tournament, then the Bob Hope Classic, in January of 2007. That was four months before Blades Brown was born. On Friday, with the 17-year-old Brown playing his second round as a pro, Hoffman found himself outplaying the youngster, though just barely, to take the lead in the desert’s PGA Tour event.

PGA Tour veteran Charley Hoffman and the Philippines' Rico Hoey each shot 9-under-par 63 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course on Friday to split the 36-hole lead at The American Express

American Express prize money: Check out how much how much champion Sepp Straka and the rest of the field won at the PGA Tour event. Sepp Straka picked up this third PGA Tour title at The American Express. The big Austrian slept on the first 54-hole lead of his career.

Straka remained aggressive and stayed well in front while hunting down a comfortable two-shot victory over Justin Thomas.