High Hopes for the Future of T-Mobile Match Play Presented by the MGM Rewards in Las Vegas

Liz Manthei, Tournament Director, MGM Resorts International and Lance Evans (Senior Vice President, Sports & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International) at the Shadow Creek Golf Course. Photography by Diamonds Mirror.

April 8, 2025 — Las Vegas — Las Vegas has become a worldwide grand slam in the past five years. It almost seems like a race to catch up with the genius idea to have developed this side of the industry decades, if not a century, ago. Nevertheless, one can't help but to sand surf along in celebration today, as time captured by its bright lights, always finds a way to stand still in this desert oasis.

For the first time in history the city hosted the NFL Superbowl in 2024 and a year earlier, invited the Formula 1 to race wildly across its famous Strip. As the locals say, Las Vegas goes beyond the Strip, and in partnership with MGM royalty, it has also reached to develop on its prestigious property at the Shadow Creek Golf Course, the T-Mobile Match Play Presented by the MGM Rewards.

Diamonds Mirror met Liz Manthei, Tournament Director, MGM Resorts International, a young talented / champion of the established luxury club of golf legends. Her insights into the tournament's development and its curation towards the legacy that it is building, has inspired a new generation of LPGA athletes and fast.

"The biggest thing that makes the T-Mobile Match Play Presented by MGM Rewards stand out is Shadow Creek.  It’s one of the world’s most challenging courses and really a property that we’re proud of at MGM Resorts. The golf course provides a terrific test for the best players in the world, and when the top players compete on such a tough golf course, the cream usually rises to the top," said Manthei.

Indeed, it has become respected on the LPGA tour as competitive and strategic. This year's finalist Madeline Coughlin's shared how she found a relentless fighter within and played 72 holes in two days for the first time. The newly crowned golf princess Madelene Sagstrom finished the week with a remarkable championship and record of 17-0-0 in the history's event.
"In its fifth year, this year the tournament returned to a match play format for all five days following last year’s stroke play/match play combination. Match play is such a unique format, and requires such a strategic approach by the players, that we felt it made sense to keep the entire tournament in the match play format," said Manthei.

"It is the only tournament on the entire LPGA schedule that uses a match play format. So instead of stroke play, where you might be able to have a bad day but bounce back on the next day, once you get to the weekend in match play, you could be knocked out of the tournament at any time.  This really adds a lot of drama to the event, and often brings out the best in these players, who are all incredibly competitive. I think it has been a great opportunity for the golf fans who come out to Shadow Creek and, those who watch on TV from all around the world, to see how competitive these players are and the amazing shots they can execute. Shadow Creek is obviously a course that makes players think about every single shot, which truly brings out the best in all the players," continued Manthei.

At this point we wouldn't be surprised if the 2028 Olympics, at least to some level, makes it to Las Vegas too. Until then, the development of this newly discovered golf treasure at the Shadow Creek Golf Course has drawn many guests, both connoisseurs and newcomers — Promising that, as we continue toward 2026, it will inspire the greatest LPGA athletes of our generation.