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The wildfires spread across Los Angeles and forced nearly a quarter of a million residents to evacuate their residences, as of Thursday (January 9). Numerous fires in the region have adversely affected the infrastructure and people’s livelihoods. The Pacific Palisades, home to the Riviera Country Club, is among the hardest hit areas in the calamity.
As of Thursday, nearly 20,000 acres in the Palisades have been affected by flames, as per the Los Angeles Times. Following this, the PGA Tour have addressed the fate of the upcoming Genesis Invitational (formerly known as the Los Angeles Open). The Tiger Woods-hosted event was set to be played at the Riviera from February 13-16. As per reports, the course is unaffected by the wildfire, however, the neighborhood remains under risk.
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The Tour released a memo on Thursday, informing its membership that it is ‘monitoring’ the situation and wasn’t ready to make a decision on the status of the event yet.
The PGA Tour said, in its memo, as quoted by Golf Digest:
“The PGA Tour is monitoring the devastating fires in Los Angeles County. At this point, it is premature to discuss the potential impact on the Genesis Invitational. Although the Riviera Country Club has not been directly affected by the fires, our immediate concern is the health and welfare of those in the affected communities, including all our members who have ties to Southern California.”
The circuit concluded by stating that it will “keep the membership updated as the situation develops.”
Which course could host the Genesis Invitational 2025?
The NBA on Thursday postponed Angeles Lakers game due to the ongoing calamity. The upcoming Genesis Invitational may be moved from Riviera even if the course and club remain untouched by the wildfires. The impact on Pacific Palisades and the recovery efforts after the disaster could cause logistical problems for the Tiger Woods-hosted event.
The ongoing crisis could lead the competition away from the popular course to an alternate venue.
The TPC Scottsdale is one of the possible picks to host the upcoming Genesis Invitational. Interestingly, the course in Arizona is set to host the WM Phoenix Open the week before the Genesis and it could go back-to-back to host two PGA Tour events. Notably, the NFL has also moved its scheduled playoff game between on Monday night from Los Angeles to Glendale, Arizona.
It is pertinent to note that the Genesis Invitational is one of PGA Tour’s signature events and will feature a limited field of the circuit’s top-ranked players. The event’s past hosts like the Hillcrest Country Club and Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles and the Inglewood Country Club in Washington are other possible venue options.
