LIV Golf Las Vegas grounds passes on sale at steep prices

Grounds passes for LIV Golf’s first Las Vegas venture have gone on sale, with Jon Rahm’s U.S. debut on the Saudi-backed tour the major selling point for the tournament.

Tickets giving spectators access to the entire course are $68 for the opening round Feb. 8 at Las Vegas Country Club. They’re $72 for Feb. 9, $80 for the final round Feb. 10 or $192 for a three-day pass.

A variety of hospitality packages are also available with eye-popping daily prices ranging from $209 to $1,109. Most center around the 18th green or the par-3 eighth hole, which LIV officials have dubbed the party hole. Music, cabanas, special bleachers and more will be built around both the eighth tee and green. LIV officials are flipping the course’s front and back nines for the event.

The daily grounds passes are about double the price charged at the PGA Tour’s Shriners Children’s Open, played for the past 40 years in Las Vegas.

“We’re excited to bring LIV Golf to Las Vegas for our inaugural event in the Silver State,” commissioner Greg Norman said in a statement. “Las Vegas Country Club is an iconic venue in a legendary city and will be a fantastic setting for the league to showcase the team spirit and atmosphere that fans and players love. LIV Golf is resonating more loudly than ever, and the course in Las Vegas is sure to roll out the red carpet for our first U.S. tournament of the season.”

Other drawing cards for golf fans besides Rahm include major champions Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson and LIV’s reigning player of the year Talor Gooch.

The venture is offering complimentary tickets to active military, veterans and children 12 and under. Discounts are available for teachers, college students and faculty, and medical workers and first responders.

Tickets can be purchased at LIVGolf.com.

SNGA Players of the Year

Some familiar names ended the 2023 season on top of the player of the year standings for Southern Nevada Golf Association tournaments.

Josh Goldstein secured championship player of the year with a consistent season that included just one win – at the Nye County Amateur – in 11 starts. He added three runner-up finishes to outdistance Daren Johnson for the top spot.

Todd Roberts won four times to edge Kelly Knievel for the title in the senior division. Part of this year’s Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame class, Roberts’ wins included both the Cascata and Henderson senior amateur championships.

The silver division was never in question. Gary Carpendale won his first five starts and six overall to run away with the title.

Chip shots

*Las Vegas LPGA star Alison Lee was honored over the weekend at the Asian and Pacific Islander Awards with the Pechanga Athlete on Another Level award. Lee was recognized for her record-setting win in Saudi Arabia on the Ladies European Tour, where she set the tour’s 54-hole scoring record at 29-under 187. She was also recognized for her sportsmanship and for being a role model. Lee closed the LPGA season with three consecutive runner-up finishes.

*Matt Mitchell won the SNGA Winter Classic at Cascata over the weekend, reaching 71 points in a Stableford scoring system to edge Andrew Chu by a point. Other winners included Knievel (senior and senior net), Barry Boudreaux (silver and silver net) and Ryan Purdy (championship net).

*Craig Erickson shot a 1-over 72 to win the SNGA Tour Series Championship at Las Vegas National last week. Other winners were John Bobroski (senior), John Steele (silver) and James Colantuono (all-ages net).

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. Reach him at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.