The acclaimed Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, will not host this year's Genesis Invitational. PGA Tour announced Thursday.
The reason for changing this signature event is obvious. That's because wildfires were burning throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area, causing havoc in the region. According to NBC News, Firefighters removed only 22% of the pests. Damage from the Pacific Palisades fire that approached the Riviera a few days ago. In fact, the famous club entered a mandatory evacuation zone last week, forcing residents to evacuate.
So the tour wants first responders, firefighters, local governments and hotels to focus their efforts on helping Southern California's evacuees instead of a golf tournament, which is less important than recovery efforts.
“I'm not really focused on the tournament at this point,” Genesis Invitational host Tiger Woods said Tuesday.
“There are so many other things that are bigger than that. It’s more about what we can do to help people who are suffering, people who have lost their homes, people whose lives have changed. It is.”
Unfortunately, 27 people died in the fires across the region and approximately 13,000 buildings were destroyed. The nation rallied around Los Angeles as the city could face a dangerous situation in the coming days. The National Weather Service predicts the infamous Santa Ana winds will pick up again next week, potentially reigniting wildfires in the region.
Therefore, the Tour has decided to move the tournament to another location, which will be announced in the coming days.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
