The PGA Tour told players that it will be moving the Genesis Invitational from Riviera Country Club in fire-torn Pacific Palisades, California to another location. According to reports, the event will now be played on the North Course at Torrey Pines near San Diego.
Riviera, which was to host the tournament Feb. 10-16, has been spared from fire damage, but the surrounding area has been evacuated and has been devastated with the loss of thousands of homes and businesses. At least 27 deaths have been blamed on the fires that have been burning since Jan. 7.
A statement released by the Tour on Thursday read: "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. We are grateful for the life-saving efforts of first responders and the tireless work being done to put an end to the tragic wildfires.
"In collaboration with Genesis, The Riviera Country Club and TGR Live, and out of respect for the unfolding situation, we have determined that the 2025 Genesis Invitational will be played at an alternate location the week of February 10-16."
CBS Sports reported Monday that the Tour has settled on Torrey Pines, 125 miles down the coast, as a replacement. The course in La Jolla also is the site of this week's Farmers Insurance Open. It will be a busy time in the San Diego area with the GCSAA Conference and Show is scheduled for Feb. 3-6.
Other sites reportedly under consideration as a replacement for the Genesis event were La Quinta Country Club, which was host to the American Express earlier this month, Shadow Creek in Las Vegas and TPC Scottsdale, site of the WM Phoenix Open Feb. 6-9 immediately before the Genesis.
Riviera has been the on-again, off-again home of the PGA Tour's Genesis Invitational, formerly the Los Angeles Open, since 1929 and every year since 1999.
Golf courses cover about 2.3 million square acres of land across the United States. That is almost the size of Los Angeles County, so it is not uncommon for them to be affected when natural disasters strike.
That is the case in metro Los Angeles as the course burns around several golf courses, including in a riverbed that runs through southern Ventura County and right past three golf courses, River Ridge, Oliva Links and the much maligned Buenaventura that has been closed since 2023.
Altadena Golf Course near Pasadena was not as lucky. The clubhouse there burned to the ground in the fires two weeks ago.