The Shriners Children's Open: PGA TOUR Golf at TPC Summerlin

For more than forty years, the PGA TOUR's annual visit to Las Vegas was a fixture of the fall calendar — and for the back half of that run, it was the Shriners Children's Open at TPC Summerlin. It's the single most important tournament in the city's golf history, and the reason TPC Summerlin remains the most pedigreed public-access name in the valley. Here's the story, and an honest account of where the event stands today.

The host course

TPC Summerlin opened in 1991 as a Bobby Weed design (with input from Fuzzy Zoeller), a 7,200-plus-yard par 72 routed through the upscale Summerlin community on the valley's northwest edge. It was built to tournament standard from day one, and it has hosted the TOUR's Las Vegas stop for the bulk of its existence. The course is part of the PGA TOUR's TPC network, which is exactly why its fairways and greens are held to a championship spec that most public players never get to see up close.

A FedExCup fall event

In its most recent format, the tournament ran as part of the PGA TOUR's FedExCup Fall schedule — the autumn stretch of events that close out the competitive year. It drew a strong field of TOUR regulars and produced low scoring; the Summerlin layout, while a serious test, historically yields red numbers, and winning totals deep into the 20-under range were common.

The Shriners connection

Shriners Children's — the healthcare system known for treating kids regardless of a family's ability to pay — served as the title sponsor for years, and the charitable mission was woven through the week. The partnership made the event as much a fundraiser as a golf tournament, a tone that set it apart on the fall slate.

What it meant for the city

For four decades, Las Vegas's PGA TOUR week was the city's one annual moment on the regular golf calendar — a chance for the valley's deep golf community to see the world's best play a course many locals know well. It put TPC Summerlin on national broadcasts every autumn and reinforced the city's standing as a genuine golf destination, not just a place with courses attached to casinos. The event also produced its share of Vegas-appropriate drama over the years, with low scoring and tight finishes that suited the run-and-gun nature of the Summerlin layout.

Where things stand now

Here's the part we'll report straight: after the 2024 edition, Shriners Children's stepped down as title sponsor, and the PGA TOUR was unable to secure a replacement in time to keep the event on the 2025 schedule. For the first time in more than four decades, the TOUR did not stage a tournament in Las Vegas. The TOUR has publicly expressed hope of returning to the city in the future, but as of this writing there is no confirmed successor event on the calendar. We'll update this piece if and when that changes — we'd rather tell you what's verifiable than guess at a date.

Why losing it stung

Dropping off the schedule was a genuine blow to a city that had hosted professional golf longer than most. The Las Vegas stop predated the Summerlin era entirely, tracing its roots back decades through various names, sponsors, and host courses before settling at TPC Summerlin. Losing a four-decade fixture is the kind of thing that's far easier to end than to restart, which is why the path back is uncertain. Securing a title sponsor willing to fund a TOUR-level purse is the hurdle — and until one steps forward, the fall window that belonged to Las Vegas belongs to other cities.

Play the course yourself

The good news for visitors: you don't need a tournament ticket to experience the venue. TPC Summerlin is accessible to public play, and walking the same closing holes the pros played is one of the best rounds in the city. See where it ranks among the best courses in Las Vegas, or browse all 53 courses to build your trip around it.