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PALM BEACH GARDENS — Tiger Woods was reluctant to discuss on Tuesday night how the Genesis Invitational could be impacted by the devastating Los Angeles fires, only saying meetings have been scheduled.
The tournament, which Woods hosts and whose foundation is the beneficiary, is played at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, the site of the largest of the fires. Areas within blocks of the course have seen heavy damage and destruction from the fires that show no sign of letting up.
“We have meetings scheduled going forward but as of right now, we’re not really focused on the tournament,” Woods said following his debut match for TGL, the tech-infused, indoor golf league he and Rory McIlroy created. Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club lost to Los Angeles GC, 12-1.
“It’s more about what we can do to help everyone who’s struggling, who’s lost homes and had their lives changed.”
More: TGL golf: Ron DeSantis, Serena Williams attend Tiger Woods’ debut match at SoFi Center
Genesis, the second Signature Event of the PGA Tour season, is scheduled for Feb. 13-16. The Tour sent a memo to its players Thursday saying it’s “premature to discuss the potential impact on the Genesis Invitational.”
With increasing winds and the threat of fires growing Wednesday, Genesis likely will need to be postponed, canceled or moved to another venue. Postponing it would be difficult considering there are no open dates on the schedule. Canceling it is the least likely option.
Where could the Genesis Invitational be played?
The meetings Woods referenced most likely are about finding a venue in such short notice to host the event. Holding it at another Los Angeles-area venue — such as Sherwood Country Club or Los Angeles Country Club — could be difficult considering the proximity to the fires for each course. The resources needed with recovery, including hotel rooms, would be many of the same issues if it’s held at Riviera.
The likely candidates to host the event would be those already equipped and set up to host a PGA Tour tournament. To get a course ready for a major event within a month without any previous preparations would be difficult. The infrastructure alone is months of work with the construction of grandstands, hospitality suites, etc.
With the build-out complete at PGA Tour sites, some changes still would have to be made, primarily with sponsor signage, but nothing close to starting from scratch.
With the PGA Tour on its West Coach Swing, here are three venues Genesis could be considering:
The Stadium Course or Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West, La Quinta, Ca.: The American Express is being played in La Quinta this week on three courses, including the Stadium and Nicklaus. With several courses in the area, any conflicts with previously scheduled events could be moved to one of the other courses.
Torrey Pines, San Diego: The site of the Farmers Insurance Open Jan. 22-25 could host the Genesis with ample time to swap out signage and make any other adjustments for a Signature Event.
TPC Scottsdale: With the WM Phoenix Open scheduled for Feb. 6-9, the week before Genesis, this could be tricky playing back-to-back weeks. Signage would have to swapped out in two days, the course may not be in the best shape after hosting an event with 120 players, and the grounds would need a lot of work after the rowdiest fans in golf trampled the course for four days.
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tiger Woods: Moving Genesis from fires in Pacific Palisades not focus
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