2024 American Express scores: Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson tied for lead after Round 1 in Palm Springs

Surprises at the top of the leaderboard are followed by a big group of the usual suspects on the chase

A great field lived up to the billing on Thursday in the first round of the American Express in Palm Springs with superstar names littering the top of the leaderboard. The very top is a bit of a shock as two players with Ryder Cup ties are tied at 10 under. The reason it's a shock? Neither competed in last year's Ryder Cup, and one of them was a captain.  Justin Thomas struggled in 2023, but his game may have already—quietly—turned the corner. To end the year JT rattled off 3 consectuive top-5s (Fortinet, Nedbank, Hero), moving him from 59th to 22nd in the DG rankings. Restricting to their last 12 rounds played, only 1 player (Morikawa) has a higher strokes-gained average than Thomas.

Zach Johnson and Alex Noren both shot 62 on the easiest of the three-course rotation on Thursday, and they'll have to hold off Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas over the next three days while playing the tougher Nicklaus and Stadium Courses.

Let's take a look at their first-round performances and what to watch for on Friday in Round 2.