Shriners Open boosts purse, prices

The Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is heading in one direction — up.

The Las Vegas PGA Tour stop has upped its purse. It also has upped its ticket prices. And it has upped the amenities that come with daily admission.

The Shriners Open, which is scheduled for Oct. 14-20 at TPC Summerlin, becomes part of the 2013-14 FedEx Cup regular season after spending years as part of the Tour’s end-of-the-year Fall Series. It will be the second event of the season and will offer a purse of $6 million, up from $4.5 million last year, with the winner to receive $1,000,080. Former UNLV star Ryan Moore earned $810,000 for his win last October.

“Las Vegas was the first to have a million-dollar purse, now someone will win a million dollars,” tournament director Adam Sperling said. “We’re pretty excited about that.”

To that end, Sperling has been talking to agents about getting some of golf’s biggest names to play the Shriners Open.

“We’ve been well-received,” he said. “The tricky part is the change in the calendar. We’re now at the beginning of the season, so it’s a question of how guys can fit it into their schedules.

“I think a big part for this year will be the (FedEx) playoffs. If someone doesn’t make the playoffs or gets eliminated early, he may want to get a jump on next year by playing our event. But I’ve said before that 2014 will be the key. By then, everyone will have adjusted their schedules, and we’re hoping to have our strongest field ever.”

With the boost to the purse came an increase in ticket prices. A daily badge, which cost $25 last year in advance, will cost $30 this year. However, the $10 surcharge to gain admittance to “The Hill” has been scrapped and all patrons will have access to The Hill, which overlooks the green at No. 16, the tee at No. 17 and the fairway at No. 18 and has soft chairs and couches, televisions to watch football and golf, along with bars and food service.

“We think The Hill is something everyone should be able to experience,” Sperling said. “By eliminating the $10 entrance fee, we’ve actually made it cheaper for fans to attend. For their $30, they get The Hill included. It’s already a popular place that we think can be even more popular.”

Sperling said about 40,000 attended last year’s tournament, up from 35,000 in 2011. Sperling said a stronger field in a tournament that has more relevance to the Tour’s schedule should draw even more people in the gallery come October.

“We believe this tournament has a great future,” he said. “The Shriners are committed, and the community is embracing it. ”

Advance tickets, which are being sold through the tournament’s website —
shrinershospitalsopen.com — go on sale Friday. In addition to the daily badge being $30 Wednesday through Sunday, a weekly Clubhouse badge is $200. When the tournament begins, daily admittance will be $35, a weekly grounds pass will be $125 and the Clubhouse badge will be $250.

Individual tickets for the popular women’s “Kick Off Your Heels” luncheon, set for Oct. 15, will be on sale online at $125 per guest. The event, which sold out last year, also has tables for purchase. For more information, call 873-1010.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.