Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Next month’s Genesis Invitational PGA Tour event due to be staged near the carnage of the Los Angeles fire disaster at Pacific Palisades will be switched to another location, officials confirmed on Thursday. A statement from the PGA Tour and Genesis organisers said a new venue for the February 13-16 tournament at Riviera Country Club — which will also host the 2028 Olympics golf tournament — would be revealed “in the coming days.”
“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,” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “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. We have determined that The Genesis Invitational 2025 will be played at an alternate location the week of February 10-16. A venue update and additional tournament information will be provided in the coming days.”
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The future of this year’s Genesis Invitational had been in doubt since devastating fires erupted across Los Angeles last week, levelling nearby Pacific Palisades and other areas in a trail of destruction which has so far left at least 24 people dead and destroyed some 12,000 structures. Riviera did not suffer any damage in the fires, but did fall just within the boundaries of the mandatory evacuation zone which forced residents to flee the disaster.
Golf superstar Tiger Woods, who is the host of the tournament, indicated on Tuesday that organisers had not given much thought to playing the tournament. “We’re not really focused on the tournament as of right now,” Woods said. “There’s so many other things that are bigger than that. It’s more about what we can do to help everyone who’s struggling, who’s lost homes and had their lives changed.”
© 2024 AFP
