Genesis Invitational host Tiger Woods says people | College News

A handful of the nation’s best golfers had gathered practically 3,000 miles from their hometown of Los Angeles for a unusual indoor competitors the place they struck balls into an huge screen, however their heads and hearts had been with these affected by the harmful wildfires raging by way of Southern California.

And though they didn’t know a lot about plans for the Genesis Invitational, a signature PGA Tour occasion with a $20-million purse scheduled to happen Feb. 13-16 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, they’d a lot to say concerning the fire victims and methods they may help.

“We’re trying to just figure everything out and make sure that everyone is safe and we have meetings scheduled going forward,” mentioned Tiger Woods, who talked about that he is aware of “a couple people that have lost everything” within the Palisades fire.

“But as of right now, we’re not really focused on the tournament,” Woods added. “It’s more about what we can do to help everyone who’s struggling, who’s lost homes and had their lives changed.”

Woods and others recommended the best answer may be to carry the Genesis Invitational at a totally different location relatively than cancel or postpone it. But they made it clear no resolution has been made. Riviera was spared harm however is smack within the center of a burned-out Pacific Palisades neighborhood that’s presently inaccessible and beneath evacuation orders.

Woods sponsors the Genesis Invitational, and the legendary golfer who grew up in Orange County is also a founder of the TGL, short for the TMRW Golf League, a simulator expertise that staged its second match this week on the SoFi Center — to not be confused with SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. This venue is on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

So it was from this perch whereas taking part in not precisely golf that Woods and fellow PGA Tour veterans with SoCal roots — Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala — talked concerning the ongoing devastation from fires and the longer term of Riviera.

“I know that these natural disasters happen far too often. However, this was the first one I can remember where every news clip, every time someone mentioned an area, I could picture it so well,” mentioned Homa, who was born in Burbank and raised in Santa Clarita. “It was very eerie. 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.’”

Theegala was raised in Chino Hills and attended Pepperdine, driving every day down the Pacific Coast Highway to the Malibu campus. The home of the sister of his caddie, Carl Smith, was destroyed by fire.

“When you see it right in front of your eyes, it’s as real as it gets and it’s scarier than any media portrayals, scarier than anything that’s being described,” Theegala mentioned.

The relentless blazes have been on Morikawa’s thoughts for days.

“I get to that point sometimes when you think it’s over but it’s not,” mentioned Morikawa, who grew up in La Cañada Flintridge. “Winds are picking up, fires are still going, people are still out there fighting fires, protecting their houses, helping their neighbors, helping communities.”

Not many insiders are even speculating about what the PGA Tour will do with the Genesis Invitational, though host Rex Hoggard of the Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio’s “Golf Channel podcast with Rex and Lav” did say he spoke to a Riviera member and got here away with this impression:

“I spoke with a member today at Riviera and he said the club is fine. The golf course didn’t receive any damage. The clubhouse hasn’t received any damage. But everything around it is devastated. … This member told me they’re still in evacuation mode. People can’t really get anywhere near the golf course. You can’t get into the community, even if the golf course is fine.”

Co-host Ryan Lavner added, “I think it would be such a drain on the resources of that community. I don’t know how you have it there, what is it three weeks away now? I just don’t see it happening.”

The podcast talked about that the Genesis Invitational might probably transfer to Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, the La Quinta Country Club that’s presently internet hosting the American Express match, or the Torrey Pines Golf Course, the place the Farmers Open will happen Jan. 22-25. The TPC Scottsdale, Ariz., course that may host the Waste Management Open Feb. 6-9 is one other option.

Looking forward to the in depth and staggeringly costly restoration from the fires has raised issues about L.A. internet hosting three main sporting occasions over the following three years. World Cup matches are scheduled for SoFi Stadium in the summertime of 2026. Then comes the 2027 Super Bowl, adopted by the 2028 Summer Olympics.

None of the area’s stadiums or arenas are broken thus far, giving occasion organizers and authorities leaders confidence that plans won’t need to change.

“Los Angeles is defined by its resilience and determination,” Casey Wasserman, chairman of the LA28 organizing committee, mentioned in a assertion. “The strength of our communities and our unity in tough times make this city extraordinary, and when Los Angeles welcomes the world in 2028, our spirit will shine brighter than ever before.”