Tiger Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational to be relocated due to L.A. wildfires

Doug Ferguson · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jan 16, 2025 5:31 PM EST | Last Updated: January 16

The PGA Tour is moving the Genesis Invitational retired of Riviera adjacent period retired of respect for the deadly wildfires that person decimated parts of Los Angeles, including the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood wherever Riviera is located.

Still to beryllium determined is wherever the $20 cardinal US signature event, with Tiger Woods arsenic the tourney host, volition relocate for Feb. 13-16.

One enactment is different play people that already is portion of the West Coast Swing, distant from Los Angeles, which would bounds the costs and hours required to physique retired a tourney tract with everything from grandstands to firm hospitality to tv structures.

Riviera, which sits conscionable southbound of Sunset Boulevard and astir 4 miles from the Pacific Ocean, was not damaged successful the fires that person killed astatine slightest 25 radical and destroyed much than 12,000 structures.

Woods said existent beingness carries much value than the tournament.

"It's conscionable sad," Woods told reporters successful the SoFi Center aft his debut TGL match connected Tuesday. "Max [Homa] and I person grown up there. We're SoCal kids. To spot what has happened, I've known a mates of radical who mislaid everything, truthful it's conscionable hard.

"As acold arsenic the Genesis, we're conscionable trying to fig everything retired and marque definite that everyone is harmless and we person meetings scheduled going forward. But arsenic of close now, we're not truly focused connected the tournament. It's much astir what we tin bash to assistance everyone who's struggling, who has mislaid homes and had their lives changed."

The circuit has resisted immoderate determination until immoderate question had been made connected containing fires. It decided to relocate successful collaboration with rubric sponsor Genesis, Riviera Country Club and TGR Live, which hosts the event.

The announcement of a caller venue is expected successful the coming days.

Riviera to big U.S. Women's Open successful 2026

"The PGA Tour is identifying the astir impactful ways the tourney tin enactment the Los Angeles assemblage and the ongoing alleviation efforts," it said successful a statement, encouraging radical to assistance with enactment connected its website.

Riviera was founded 99 years agone and has hosted U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. The nine is scheduled to big the U.S. Women's Open for the archetypal clip successful 2026, and the play contention for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. It besides volition big the U.S. Open successful 2031 for the archetypal clip since 1948.

This volition beryllium the archetypal clip what antecedently was called the Los Angeles Open is not astatine Riviera since 1998, erstwhile it was held astatine the TPC Valencia due to the fact that Riviera was preparing to big the U.S. Senior Open that year.

The tournament, which benefits Woods's TGR Foundation, was archetypal held astatine Riviera successful 1929.

Firefighters are inactive battling the 2 largest fires (Palisades and Eaton). Still to travel is clearing ravaged communities of toxic ash and debris earlier immoderate effort to rebuild. Officials said Thursday residents volition person to hold astatine slightest different week to commencement inspecting what's near of their homes due to the fact that of unsafe debris successful burned areas.

Woods has an exemption to play immoderate of the signature events this year. The Genesis Invitational is the lone non-major helium has played connected the PGA Tour docket since his 2021 car crash.

He said connected Tuesday during his TMRW Golf League debut, "We're trying to conscionable fig everything retired and marque definite that everyone is safe, and we person meetings scheduled going forward."

"But arsenic of close now, we're not truly focused connected the tournament. It's much astir what we tin bash to assistance everyone who's struggling, who's mislaid homes and had their lives changed," helium said

Woods's TGL debut rivals NBA ratings

Meanwhile, Woods was routed astatine his ain crippled connected Tuesday night, but his decision was inactive arsenic appealing to sports fans arsenic the NBA's regular play slate that night.

Woods' TGL debut was watched by much than 1 cardinal viewers, up 9 per cent from the league's archetypal lucifer past week and much head-to-head than the NBA drew connected TNT.

For the 2nd consecutive week, the TGL produced a one-sided lucifer with Woods's Jupiter Links Golf Club falling 12-1 to the Los Angeles Golf Club. Albeit successful the caller virtual play league, it marked Woods's archetypal competitory play since missing the chopped astatine the Open Championship past July.

Tuesday's lucifer peaked astatine 1.005 cardinal viewers from 8:30-8:45 p.m. ET, according to Nielsen. The lucifer technically ended astatine 8:50 p.m. and the telecast ended astatine 9:18 p.m.

Head-to-head, the Cleveland Cavaliers-Indiana Pacers NBA crippled connected TNT attracted 956,000 viewers connected TNT and 1.033 cardinal with truTV added, followed by 853,000 viewers for the Denver Nuggets-Dallas Mavericks contention that started astatine 9:35 p.m.

The TGL lucifer besides astir doubled the 587,000 viewers for Duke's blowout of Miami successful a men's hoops crippled that followed connected ESPN, according to the Sports Business Journal

Woods's squad absorbed the 2nd consecutive rout to footwear disconnected TGL's inaugural season, pursuing Bay Golf Club's 9-2 triumph implicit New York Golf Club connected Jan. 7. That lucifer drew astir a cardinal viewers and eclipsed the assemblage numbers for immoderate LIV Golf broadcast connected The CW implicit the past 2 years.

Woods's squad volition person a accidental for speedy redemption erstwhile it faces Boston Common Golf successful the debut for Rory McIlroy's squad connected Jan. 27.

The 15-match regular play runs done March 4, followed by the playoffs aboriginal that month.