Devastating wildfires in Los Angeles have forced the PGA Tour to find a new home for next month’s Genesis Invitational, one of golf’s most prestigious tournaments.
The event, scheduled for February 13-16, can’t be held at its traditional venue, Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, due to the massive fires that have ravaged the surrounding community.
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Tiger Woods
378
199
$120,999,166
The numbers are staggering. The Palisades Fire alone has torn through 23,000 acres, destroying nearly 3,000 buildings and claiming eight lives. As of Thursday morning, firefighters had only managed to contain 22% of the blaze.
While Riviera Country Club itself survived the flames, many nearby neighborhoods weren’t so lucky.
“We’ll announce an alternate location in the coming days,” the PGA Tour said Thursday. They’re determined to keep the original dates for the tournament, which is run by Tiger Woods’ foundation.
So where might golf’s best players end up teeing off instead?
If the Tour wants to stay in Southern California, they’ve got some solid options. Sherwood Country Club near Thousand Oaks could step in – they’ve hosted big events before, including the 2020 Zozo Championship when it had to relocate from Japan during COVID.
They might also look at courses that are already part of this year’s Tour schedule, like Torrey Pines or PGA West (which happens to be hosting this week’s American Express tournament).
It wouldn’t be the first time courses have pulled double duty. During the pandemic, Muirfield Village hosted back-to-back tournaments. And in 2021, Torrey Pines managed both the Farmers Insurance Open and the U.S. Open in the same year.
The Tour needs to move quickly, though. With just weeks until the tournament’s scheduled start, they’ll need to get everything in place at the new venue while dealing with the logistical challenges of relocating one of their signature events.
