▶ SHRINERS

resulted in similar deals lasting only through the 2020 season.

In March of 2016, Valspar agreed to a three-year extension as title sponsor of the Valspar Championship played each year at Innisbrook in Tampa Bay. Earlier this year in March, Mastercard signed a three-year sponsorship extension for the Arnold Palmer Invitational played at Bay Hill in Florida.

The Shriners Hospital for Children Open originally began as the Pana-

sonic Las Vegas Pro Celebrity Classic and was played for the first time in 1983. The inaugural event featured the first million-dollar purse in PGA Tour history, and in 1996 Tiger Woods won, which was his first pro victory.

The defending champion is Rod Pampling from Australia. When the 2020 event is played, it will mark the 38th consecutive year of PGA Tour golf in Las Vegas.

“First of all, to have 38 consecutive PGA Tour events in Las Vegas is something we should all be very proud of and the help that the community has given it through the years

is appreciated,” tournament director Patrick Lindsey said. “It’s been a great relationship that the PGA Tour has had with Las Vegas.

“In my short three years here, we have seen considerable growth, and the community has latched on to the tournament. I think this also cements Las Vegas as a major league city. This town is growing into one of the major sports town in the United States. Pretty soon we are going to have professional hockey and football and two NASCAR races. Professional golf is a part of that and will be here for another three years, and we hope

even longer than that.”

In addition to the Shriners presence and the continued improvement of fan enhancements this fall, Lindsey believes the on the course action could rank among the best ever.

“I believe we are going to have one of the best fields we have ever had and look forward over the next 45 days to showcase some of the players who will be playing,” Lindsey said. “I think that we have the possibility to land a couple of the best players in the world that we could possibly see here in the first week of November.”