"Golf, Like Music, Is A Great Way To Make An Impact"; Luke Bryan Reveals His Dream Four-Ball Ahead of 2025 HGV Tournament Of Champions Performance

Ahead of his eagerly anticipated performance at the 2025 HGV Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida, Luke Bryan has discussed his love of the sport, what fans can expect from his set and more.

The tournament occupies a unique space in the golfing calendar, with past victors on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour joining forces with an array of celebrities and artists to compete for a combined purse of $2.5 million. The HGV Tournament of Champions doubles up as the official tour kick-off for the forthcoming LPGA Tour season.

As part of the much-loved competition, which will be televised on Golf Channel, Peacock and NBC, a handful of top-tier acts will be gracing the stage for a three-night concert series at Boxi Park Lake Nona. The blockbuster headliners include Luke Bryan and Chicago, among others.

As well as being one of the biggest country artists of the past decade and a five-time Entertainer of the Year winner, Luke Bryan has also been an avid golfer for a number of years. During his 2024 Spotify House set at CMA Fest in Nashville, in response to a fan that yelled out, ‘Slay!’ the Georgia singer-songwriter amusingly quipped that the main thing he's been ‘slaying’ recently is his golf game.

The ‘Country On’ hitmaker remains a key figure in today's country landscape, with Luke Bryan earning his 31st career No. 1 late last year with the bittersweet ’Love You, Miss You, Mean It’, as well as helping to push the genre to new audiences through his high-profile role as a judge on American Idol and as the co-host of the CMA Awards.

Luke Bryan's status as one of country music's flag-bearers is consolidated by his status as a headliner at the multi-genre HGV Tournament of Champions concert series.

Given the ‘One Margarita’ crooner's penchant for laid-back, breezy anthems - as is exemplified by his annual Crash My Playa festival in Mexico, which celebrates its tenth year later this month - those attending his HGV show at Boxi Park Lake Nona on Saturday, February 1st can look forward to feeling as though summer has arrived early.

In the lead-up to his performance, Luke Bryan underlines how excited he is to bring his arsenal of chart-toppers to the Sunshine State, “Any time we can launch into the touring year with warm weather events, we look forward to the turn of the calendar year. This will be our first experience with Hilton Grand Vacations, and we are happy to be part of this world-class concert line-up!”

Country music has always enjoyed a close relationship with the world of golf, with a plethora of the genre's stars regularly sharing photos and videos of them hitting the links, including Morgan Wallen, HARDY, ERNEST and Chris Lane, with the latter returning for his third appearance at the 2025 HGV Tournament of Champions. Just this week, Post Malone was invited to play a round at the home of the 2023 Ryder Cup, the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, in Rome, Italy.

It seems golf doesn't just serve as a hobby for country artists, but it often acts as a catalyst for new songs. Last year, for instance, ERNEST and Luke Bryan wrote the kernel of the idea for ‘I Went to College, He Went to Jail’ while playing a round of golf.

With a wealth of golf-loving artists to choose from as potential partners, we asked Luke Bryan who his dream four-ball would be, “I think if I had chosen golfers from the country music world, I would go with Charles Kelley, Darius Rucker and Cole Swindell”.

Aside from being an undeniably fun grouping out on the course, we would love to one day see Luke Bryan, his fellow Georgia boy Cole Swindell, Lady A's Charles Kelley and ‘Wagon Wheel’ hitmaker Darius Rucker hitting the studio together for a joint track.

This spirit of collaboration pervades the HGV Tournament of Champions, with LPGA titans such as Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda, Lauren Coughlin and Haeran Ryu teaming up with leading artists, sports stars and other well-known figures across January 30th to February 2nd, 2025.

As well as serving as an entertaining golfing showcase, the HGV Tournament of Champions is a key opportunity to ensure the next generations of women golfers are supported. At the 2024 event, HGV Serves donated $100,000 to the ANNIKA Foundation, which hosts competitions and schemes for up-and-coming female golfers.

Bryan underlines his keenness to play his part in promoting the overarching mission of HGV Serves, “I’m proud to be partnering with a company that is so dedicated to giving back to the communities it serves throughout all its events and experiences - golf, like music, is a great way to make an impact”.

As for what attendees at his performance can expect, Bryan assures ticket-holders they will hear all the hits, as well as a selection from his latest album, Mind Of A Country Boy, which dropped in September 2024. Bryan explains how fans are at the heart of his setlist choices, “Fortunately, we have several albums of songs to choose from but always look forward to adding new material to our shows”.

He expands, “The new album includes ‘Love You, Miss You, Mean It’ so that song is now in our setlist, and we will soon add the new single ‘Country Song Came On’. Fans give us an honest reaction in concert, and it sometimes helps us choose the next singles”.

Luke Bryan is yet to confirm a full-blown tour for 2025, and he remains coy when the subject arises, hinting at an impending unveiling, “We look forward to announcing our 2025 touring plans after the first of the year”.

Either way, Bryan will ensure the next season of both country music and the LPGA Tour launches with a bang, with Bryan set to reel off celebratory smashes such as ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me)’ and ‘Play It Again’ when he hits the stage next month.

Luke Bryan performs at the HGV Tournament of Champions concert-series at Boxi Park Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, February 1st.

The competition itself starts on Thursday, January 30th, with the 2025 victors being crowned on Sunday, February 2nd.

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