The wildfires that have spread across Los Angeles may force the PGA Tour to postpone or relocate next month’s Genesis Invitational.
As of late Thursday nearly a quarter of a million residents were forced to evacuate their residences in the greater Los Angeles area due to numerous fires in the region. One of the hardest hit areas has been the Pacific Palisades; as of 3 p.m. PT on Thursday, nearly 20,000 acres in the Palisades were touched by the flames, with the Los Angeles Times reporting more than 9,000 homes and structures have been damaged or destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires. It is the first and largest of four major wildfires spurred by a wind event, with the Wildfire Alliance indicating Wednesday that it is already the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.
The Palisades is home to the Riviera Country Club, home of the tour’s Genesis Invitational (formerly known as the Los Angeles Open), which Tiger Woods now hosts. The course and club are reportedly fine, although the neighborhood surrounding the property has been affected. The event is scheduled for Feb. 13-16.
The PGA Tour informed its membership Thursday that, for the moment, it is not ready to make a decision regarding the status of the event.
“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.
“We will keep the membership updated as the situation develops.”
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Even if the course and club remain untouched, a number of issues may prevent Riviera from hosting. There are the logistical problems of getting players, tournament officials and fans through Pacific Palisades as recovery efforts are underway. Lodging will likely be a problem with hotels putting up those who lost their residences. Running a tour event takes thousands of volunteers and personnel, including police and medical presence, and those requirements would be tough to fill. There are also the optics of playing a golf tournament amid an ongoing crisis.
As for alternative sites, the TPC Scottsdale, which is hosting the WM Phoenix Open the week before the Genesis, could pull double duty. Two sources familiar with the tour told Golf Digest playing two straight weeks in Mexico, which is set to host the week after Riviera, is highly unlikely.
The Genesis Invitational is part of the PGA Tour’s signature event series, which features a limited field of the tour’s best players. The NBA postponed Thursday night’s Los Angeles Lakers game, while the NFL has already moved its scheduled playoff game between on Monday night from Los Angeles to Glendale, Arizona. The Los Angeles Rams host the Minnesota Vikings.
Los Angeles County sheriff Robert Luna noted Thursday it may be some time before a true death toll is known. “At one point, we’ll be able to do a more thorough search of these impacted areas—some of them look like a bomb was dropped in them—where we will be able to bring in canines and other things to help us, hopefully not discover too many fatalities, that is our prayer.
“This is a crisis.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com