Riviera CC Under Mandatory Evacuation as LA Fire Spreads

A fast-moving brush fire is threatening one of golf’s most iconic venues, as flames push toward Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.

The blaze, which started Monday morning in Pacific Palisades, has already forced more than 30,000 people from their homes.

Dangerous Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching up to 100 mph, are feeding the flames. In just hours, the fire has torn through more than 1,200 acres of dry brush.

Riviera Country Club, set to host Tiger Woods’ Genesis Invitational next month, now sits inside the mandatory evacuation zone. The historic course has been caught up in a rapidly expanding danger area that stretches from Big Rock Beach to Topanga State Park.

The fire began around 10:30 a.m. PT near the Pacific Palisades Highlands community, about 5 miles from Riviera.

This isn’t the first time a PGA Tour venue has faced wildfire danger. Back in 2017, California’s Atlas Fire hit Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa just hours after a tournament wrapped up. While the course escaped major damage, the fire destroyed tournament grandstands and, along with nearby blazes, caused over a billion dollars in damage and claimed more than 30 lives.

Fire crews are working against time and wind to contain the flames before they can threaten more homes and landmarks in one of L.A.’s most prestigious neighborhoods.