The future of the PGA Tour event in Las Vegas is now uncertain. Shriners Children’s Hospital, the long-time sponsor, has decided to step back from hosting duties, as reported by the Review-Journal. JT Poston recently won what seems to be the last Shriners Children’s Open under their sponsorship.
For 18 years, Shriners proudly supported this event, sharing stories of over 1.6 million children they’ve helped. Bob Roller expressed gratitude for their partnership with the PGA Tour and the Las Vegas community. However, with Shriners ending their deal, questions loom over the tournament’s fate.
Since 1983, Las Vegas has hosted this notable tournament with unforgettable moments spanning over four decades. Fans might wonder if another sponsor will step up to keep this tradition alive.
History and Changes:
Initially called the Panasonic Las Vegas Pro-Celebrity Classic, it was a five-round challenge until 2004 when it switched to a standard 72-hole format. The event made history in 1984 with its first $1 million prize pool on the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods also marked his first professional win here in 1996.
Tom Kim emerged victorious in both 2022 and 2023 at the Shriners Children’s Open. Now, without a sponsor, organizers are racing against time to find a new one for the 2025 season since parts of that schedule are already out but not yet finalized for fall.
While seven new sponsors have joined for 2024, it’s unclear if any will take interest in Las Vegas. The main tour season offers higher prize money and Signature Events have overshadowed fall series events leading to decreased attention and funding except for one occasion this year.
If necessary, the PGA Tour could temporarily sponsor an event in Las Vegas next year; however, such actions are rare these days which may mean saying goodbye to one of golf’s longest-standing stops.
What do you think? Should they try harder to save this historic event?
