PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Tiger Woods doesn't know what will happen at next month's Genesis Invitational, a PGA Tour event he hosts in the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.
He insists there must be bigger concerns.
Woods said Tuesday night that a meeting was scheduled to discuss the future of the tournament after making his debut in the TGL Indoor Golf League, which he helped develop, but he did not make any decisions public and did not confirm that the tournament will continue. Nor did he indicate that there might be changes from Riviera Country Club.
“We're just trying to figure everything out and make sure everyone's safe. We have more meetings scheduled,” Woods said. “But at the moment we are not too focused on the tournament, but more on what we can do to help those who are suffering, those who have lost their homes and whose lives have been changed. That is what is important.”
Woods, who grew up in Southern California, said he knew “some people who lost everything.”
“It's just difficult,” Woods said.
The PGA Tour has not announced any changes to its plans to play Genesis, scheduled for Feb. 13-16. The Riviera, the golf venue for the 2028 Olympic Games, is very close to the area destroyed by the fires. There is no direct impact on the course itself.
Woods' TGL teammate Max Homa, also from Southern California, said the golf tournament's status should be the farthest thing from anyone's mind right now.
“I know these natural disasters happen all too often, but I remember never being able to picture the area so well every time someone mentioned the area, every time there was a news clip. This was the first time as far as I was concerned,” Homa said. “It was very creepy. Luckily all my friends and family are safe. The house isn't necessarily all intact, but it was nice to talk to quite a few people.” And I think their perspective on, 'We're safe and that's the most important thing.'
Tickets for Genesis were still on sale as of Tuesday, but no one knows what will happen in the coming weeks or whether it will be possible to hold the tournament in Los Angeles.
“There's a lot of other things that are bigger than that,” Woods said. “We have been meeting since then and are trying to resolve everything.”
It was a tough night for Woods, who performed “Eye of the Tiger” as his TGL walkout song, and his Jupiter Links team, which lost 12-1 in its TGL opener against Los Angeles Golf Club.
Collin Morikawa, a member of Tuesday's winning team, said representing the city weighs heavily on him and teammates Justin Rose and Sahis Segala.
A week of fires has destroyed homes and businesses in Los Angeles, killing at least 25 people, displacing thousands and destroying more than 12,000 buildings. This fire may have been the most expensive fire in U.S. history.
“You may think it's over, but it's not over yet,” Morikawa said. “The winds are picking up. The fires are still going on. People are still out there fighting fires, protecting their homes, helping their neighbors, helping their communities. That's why L.A. is a great city to me. I can see everyone coming together.”
Morikawa was wearing an “LA Strong” T-shirt that was being sold as a fundraiser for the fire department.
Like Morikawa, Segala has deep ties to Southern California. He was born and raised in the area and attended Pepperdine University. He said Cady's sister lost her home in the fire.
“I was on Pepperdine's campus during the Woolsey Fire in '18, and it feels like the fires have been going on for the last six or seven years. It's not slowing down,” Segala said. “Before the first fire, it didn’t seem real at all. When you see a fire break out and see homes burnt down and people’s lives destroyed, it couldn’t be any better.” It's so real and scarier than any media portrayal. It's scarier than anything that's been described.”
Morikawa said he was proud to be able to provide a few hours of distraction to the people of Los Angeles, as he did on Monday night when the Los Angeles Rams won the NFC Wild Card Playoffs. The game was moved to Arizona due to a fire. .
“We're probably the newest team in L.A., but to win back-to-back games against the Rams and then we win…I can understand laughing at that,” Morikawa said. “But look, we're not taking this lightly.”
