The venerable Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, will not host this year’s Genesis Invitational; The PGA Tour was announced Thursday.
The reason for moving this iconic event is quite clear: wildfires throughout the greater Los Angeles area have been wreaking havoc on the region. According to what was reported by NBC News. Firefighters contained only 22% From the Pacific Palisades fire, which approached Riviera a few days ago. In fact, the famous club fell into a mandatory evacuation zone last week, and residents had no choice but to flee.
Hence, the tour wants first responders, firefighters, local governments and hotels to focus their efforts on supporting displaced citizens of Southern California — not a golf tournament that is of little importance compared to recovery efforts.
“We’re not really focused on the tournament yet,” Genesis Invitational host Tiger Woods said Tuesday.
“There are so many other things bigger than that. It’s more about what we can do to help everyone who is struggling, who have lost their homes and whose lives have been changed.
Unfortunately, 27 people died in the fires across the region, while nearly 13,000 structures were lost. The entire country has rallied around Los Angeles, as the city may face dangerous situations in the coming days. The National Weather Service expects the notorious Santa Ana winds to blow again next week, likely igniting wildfires in the area.
Therefore, the tour decided to move the tournament to a location that will be announced in the coming days.
Jack Melko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Play Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
