PGA star Jordan Spieth commits to Shriners Open in Las Vegas

Jordan Spieth, one of the biggest stars on the PGA Tour and currently ranked 10th in the world, committed Friday to play in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on Nov. 1-4 at TPC Summerlin.

“I’m really excited to be playing in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open,” Spieth said. “The event has been on my radar for a while, as the course has a great reputation on Tour and I absolutely love the affiliation with the hospital. It’s going to be a really fun week in a great city.”

Spieth is another quality addition to a field that tournament organizers said is one of the most talented they have assembled.

“This is another big commitment for us and we are thrilled,” tournament director Patrick Lindsey said. “We are excited to give the community an A-plus event and this is possibly the strongest field we have had.

“We have put a lot of time — 3½ years — and effort into player recruiting and it is very rewarding to see results like we are having. We feel good that Jordan and other top names are coming here and we will show them a wonderful time. We know our fans will show them a lot of support and love.”

Rickie Fowler, Spieth’s fellow United States Ryder Cup teammate and the ninth-ranked player in the world, previously committed to play in Las Vegas as have other team members Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and Webb Simpson, the 2013 Shriners champion. United States captain Jim Furyk, a three-time Shriners champ and the event’s all-time money leader ($2,314,418) by about $700,000 over Simpson, also is in the field.

In addition, Lindsey confirmed that 2018 UNLV graduate Shintaro Ban, an All-American and United States Walker Cup team member, will receive a sponsor’s exemption.

Lindsey has traveled to dozens of tournaments over the last three years to entice players to play the Shriners, sharing the organization’s charitable mission plus detailing Las Vegas’ hospitality. Most recently, he was at the Tour Championship in Atlanta where he delivered personalized Vegas Golden Knights jerseys to each player in the field among other items.

Spieth is a three-time major champion and has 11 career PGA Tour victories. He also won the 2015 FedEx Cup. He has played on three Ryder Cup and three Presidents Cup teams.

Other notables scheduled to play in the Shriners this year include Jason Dufner, Gary Woodland and defending champion Patrick Cantlay, who finished 20th in the FedEx Cup rankings. The field will also include a strong contingent of players with local ties, including Wyndham Clark, Ryan Moore, Kevin Na, Scott Piercy and Aaron Wise.

Spieth has never played in Las Vegas’ PGA Tour event, but during his only season at the University of Texas, he played in the Southern Highlands Collegiate, UNLV’s home tournament. He finished 27th in 2012 and his Longhorns finished sixth.

In January, Spieth was in Las Vegas to launch his Spieth 2 golf shoe from Under Armour. Included in that promotional event and golf group at Shadow Creek were Las Vegas resident and Washington Nationals player Bryce Harper and 18-time gold medalist Michael Phelps.