Tournament host Tiger Woods admitted he has far greater concerns than whether or not next month’s Genesis Invitational will go ahead in the aftermath of the deadly Californian wildfires.
It’s been 10 days since the fires broke out in the greater Los Angeles region with 25 people losing their lives and with the Palisades blaze is still the largest. It has been burning for a week. On Monday, another fire broke out in neighbouring Ventura County, prompting more evacuation orders.
The total area burned by the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires is about 16,425 hectares (40,588 acres), an area larger than Paris.
With wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area, Woods said that real life carries more weight than the event, which is slated to be held at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades from February 13th to 16th.
SAD AND CONCERNED ….
Though @TigerWoods admitting he is not focussed whether @thegenesisinv goes ahead next month ….
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“It’s just sad,” Woods said.
“Max (Homa) and I have grown up there. We’re SoCal (Southern California) kids. To see what has happened, I’ve known a couple of people who lost everything, so it’s just hard.
“As far as the Genesis, we’re just trying to figure everything out and make sure that everyone is safe, and we have meetings scheduled going forward. But as of right now, we’re not really focused on the tournament. It’s more about what we can do to help everyone who’s struggling, who has lost homes and had their lives changed.”
Fortunately, the host Riviera club was spared from the fires despite being in the mandatory evacuation zone. The PGA Tour hasn’t made a final decision on whether the tournament will be held there.
Homa, Woods’ TGL teammate, said golf should not be the primary focus right now.
“I know that these natural disasters happen far too often,” Homa said. “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. 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.'”
However former PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker, and in speaking to GolfByTourMiss, said the PGA Tour should consider moving the Genesis to another venue.