Tiger Woods Says “The Riv Is Just Not Ready” After Genesis Invitational Lands In San Diego In Palisades Fire Aftermath

patrick hipes

Tue, 28 Jan 2025, 11:33 am·3-min read

UPDATED with new location: Tiger Woods said Monday that “the Riv is just not ready,” responding to the news last week that the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational, which had to move from its traditional home at Riviera Country Club in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires, will now be played at the South Course at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.

“We want to stay on the West Coast, and it narrowed those options down to possibly up near Pebble or to Phoenix or to Vegas or to San Diego or to Palm Springs,” Woods said in a press conference. “There were so many different options out on the table, and we were trying to be understanding to all the victims that these fires have caused, has brought to them.”

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The Genesis will still be played on its scheduled dates February 13-16. The PGA Tour announced the new location Friday, saying it expects the tournament hosted by Southern California native Woods to return to Riviera, located in the Pacific Palisades, in 2026.

The Palisades Fire has burned more than 23,000 acres since starting the morning of January 7 amid unprecedented high winds and low humidity in the region. More than 6,800 structures were destroyed, though Riviera was not directly impacted by the fire.

PREVIOUSLY, January 16: The PGA Tour said Thursday that its is moving the location of next month’s Genesis Invitational, the annual tour stop at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, CA hosted by Tiger Woods.

The move comes after the horrific Palisades Fire that erupted in that community on January 7, killing at least eight and destroying 2,869 structures, including entire swaths of neighborhoods both in the Palisades and Malibu, with more than 500 additional structures damaged. The fire as of today stands at 23,713 acres and is 22% contained.

Riviera didn’t suffer any damage from the fire but is located inside the mandatory evacuation zone in the southeast corner of the Palisades. There has been no indication of a lifting of those restrictions as firefighters continue to battle the fire and more severe Santa Ana winds expected next week.

A new location has not been announced.

“The PGA Tour’s focus continues to be on the safety and well-being of those affected by the unprecedented natural disaster in Greater Los Angeles,” it said in a statement today, adding that “out of respect for the unfolding situation, we have determined that The Genesis Invitational 2025 will be played at an alternate location the week of Feb. 10-16. A venue update and additional tournament information will be provided in the coming days.”

The tour kicked off its 2025 season today with the American Express in La Quinta, CA, part of its usual year-starting West Coast swing that includes stops in San Diego and Pebble Beach. It was due to hit Riviera after the Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, AZ.

Woods, who sponsors the Genesis Invitational via his company TGR Live, was expected to play as he continues to battle back from injuries suffered in a 2021 car accident.

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