Golfing icon Tiger Woods expressed uncertainty about the status of next month’s Genesis Invitational, the PGA Tour event he hosts annually at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, as the region battles devastating wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.
Speaking Tuesday night after his debut in the TGL, the new tech-infused indoor golf league he co-founded, Woods emphasized that the focus right now should be on helping those impacted by the catastrophic blazes rather than the tournament.
We’re trying to just figure everything out and make sure that everyone is safe, and we have meetings scheduled going forward. But as of right now, we’re not really focused on the tournament. It’s more about what we can do to help everyone who’s struggling, who’s lost homes and had their lives changed.
– Tiger Woods
Unprecedented Destruction
The fires raging through Los Angeles for the past week have killed at least 25 people, displaced thousands, and incinerated more than 12,000 structures in what may go down as the costliest wildfires in U.S. history. Riviera Country Club, the storied host venue for the Genesis Invitational, sits perilously close to some of the hardest-hit areas, though the course itself has been spared so far.
Woods, who grew up in Southern California, said he personally knows “a couple people that have lost everything” to the infernos. His TGL teammate and fellow SoCal native Max Homa described an “eerie” feeling seeing the devastation unfold in neighborhoods he recognized from news footage.
Fortunately, all my friends and family are safe. Houses not necessarily still all intact, but it was nice to be able to talk to quite a few people, and I think their perspective has been amazing about, ‘Hey, we’re safe, and that’s what matters most.’
– Max Homa
Golf Takes Back Seat
While no official decisions have been announced regarding the Genesis Invitational, scheduled for February 13-19, Woods made it clear that the well-being of the community takes precedence over any golf tournament right now, even one as prestigious as the event he hosts as a benefit for his TGR Foundation.
“There’s so many other things that are bigger than that,” Woods said of the Genesis’ uncertain status. “We have subsequent meetings to try and figure all that out.”
The PGA Tour is still selling tickets to the $20 million event, one of the premier tournaments on the schedule outside the majors. But as the fires continue to burn with little containment, and thousands remain under evacuation, the golf world understands that sports must take a back seat.
You think it’s over, but it’s not. Winds are picking up. Fires are still going. People are still out there, fighting the fires, protecting their houses, helping their neighbors, helping communities. That’s why L.A. is, to me, such a great city. You see all the people coming together.
– Collin Morikawa
For now, the golf world’s thoughts are with those suffering unimaginable loss in the Los Angeles area. The Genesis Invitational, an iconic event at an iconic venue, will hopefully still be played. But as Tiger Woods stressed, some things are simply more important than golf right now, as an entire region tries to cope with tragedy and rebuild shattered lives.
