LIV Golf doesn’t put Las Vegas on early 2025 season schedule

The chances of LIV Golf returning to Las Vegas in 2025 took a hit when Southern Nevada was not part of the breakaway circuit’s list of early events on next season’s calendar.

LIV played its first U.S. event of 2024 at Las Vegas Country Club from Feb. 8-10, hoping to capitalize on crowds flowing into the city for the Super Bowl.

There are no U.S. stops among the first four events on LIV’s 2025 calendar, which covers February and March.

LIV’s fourth season will begin Feb. 6-8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before heading to Adelaide, Australia (Feb. 14-16), Hong Kong (March 7-9) and Singapore (March 14-16).

“We are a global league with a global footprint, and we’re excited to kick off next season with four truly international events,” CEO Greg Norman said in a statement.

LIV officials were non-committal when asked whether the schedule means Las Vegas is out of the picture for 2025,

“The league is unveiling its 2025 schedule in phases, having just announced the first four events on next year’s 14-tournament schedule,” LIV Golf VP of communications Allen Barrett told the Review-Journal. “We will continue to keep fans posted, but no further updates to share on the schedule at this time.”

Jin Yoon, general manager of Las Vegas Country Club, did not respond to requests for comment on whether his club is in talks to remain on the LIV schedule.

Dustin Johnson won the inaugural LIV Golf Las Vegas event.

LIV Golf has drawn its best crowds internationally, particularly in Australia, while floundering at its U.S. stops. There have been multiple cities in the tour’s first three years that have hosted events and then been dropped from the calendar the following season.

LIV Golf could have a different look when play does begin in 2025. Several players’ contracts expire after the 2024 season, which ends this month.

How many of those players will renew and whether several new faces join the circuit are among the biggest offseason questions for the tour.

Close call in Albuquerque

UNLV’s women’s team came up just short of a team title in its season opener, finishing second to Long Beach State at the Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday.

The Beach blitzed the field Tuesday, going 8 under in the final round to overtake the Rebels for the title. UNLV finished at 5 over, six shots behind Long Beach State.

UNLV senior Toa Yokoyama had three rounds under par to finish at 6-under 210 in a tie for third place. Senior Mayumi Umezu also posted a top-10 finish, ending at even par in a tie for seventh.

Pepperdine’s Lauren Gomez ran away with the individual title at 11 under.

SNGA Team Championship

Scott Lytle and Matt Mitchell pulled away from the field Sunday to win the championship division of the Southern Nevada Golf Association Team Championship at Stallion Mountain Golf Club.

Lytle and Mitchell combined for an 8-under 64 in fourballs one day after a 66 in alternate shot to coast to a six-stroke win at 14 under.

Other winners included Robert Futrell and John Turk (Senior and Senior net), Gary Carpendale and Steve Fink (Silver), Adam Pion and George Wolf (Championship net), and Larry Agan and Stephen Sitar (Silver net).

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