LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Some of the best golfers in the world will be teeing it up Thursday at TPC Summerlin for the Shriners Children's Open. Today, Shriners and PGA officials announced the tournament will be staying in Las Vegas for another five years.
Not only does it attract some of the best golfers in the world, but it brings in tourists and gets the attention of the golf world, which is all good for the local economy.
"We have extended, through a five-year agreement, the Shriners Children's Open to remain in Las Vegas through 2026. We are so excited about what this means, not only for Las Vegas but for Shriners," said Mel Bower, the chief marketing officer for Shriners Children's, in an announcement at TPC Summerlin today.
"This community has completely wrapped its arms around us here. They've helped us with sponsorship and ticket sales, they've helped us with introductions to other companies in the market as well, they've helped us with media opportunities, all in the benefit of Shriners Children's," said Patrick Lindsey, executive director of the Shriners Children's Open.
A few feet away from the press conference, fans lined the fences, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite golfers. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill says not only does the tournament bring more tourists to town, but it also bolsters Las Vegas' claim as the sports capital of the world.
"It brings the attention of the golf world to Las Vegas every year as well. Golf fans are Las Vegas fans. I mean, you can't watch this tournament and not want to come and play golf in Las Vegas," said Hill.
But most importantly, the tournament raises money and awareness for the Shriners Children's health care system, which has helped more than 1.5 million kids since its inception, including 800 in Las Vegas this year alone.
"Of course there's fundraising aspects to what we do here. But largely, we're also raising the awareness on a national level of all the work that we do. We're cultivating relationships with businesses and organizations, as well as individual donors, and bringing the golf community into the mission of Shriners. And so we believe there's a lot of things that work together about this tournament to make it successful for us," said Bower.
Shriners declined to comment on how much money they paid to sponsor the tournament, and how much money the tournament directly raises for the Shriners Children's health care system.
The first round of the Shriners Children's Open tees off Thursday at TPC Summerlin. You can watch it on the Golf Channel starting at 2 p.m. local time.
