Riviera Country Club, home of the PGA Tour's annual Genesis Invitational tournament, has been included in a mandatory evacuation zone as a result of rapidly-spreading wildfires in north-west Los Angeles.
Fires, which began five miles away from Riviera CC (as the crow flies) in the Pacific Palisades area on Tuesday morning, quickly grew out of control and had reportedly caused damage to more than 1,200 acres a matter of hours later.
Driven on by dry conditions and hurricane-force Santa Ana winds of up to 100mph, per NBC News, the blaze engulfed a significant number of buildings and the initial evacuation zone was expanded to include Riviera CC.
According to one early report from a marshal on the ground, the fire was spreading to the north and west - the opposite direction to one of California's most prestigious golf layouts.
However, a complete 180-degree switch in wind direction on Wednesday resulted in a smoke advisory warning for much of the Malibu coast - which includes Santa Monica and Beverly Hills - as more sections of the coast were put on high alert.
Updated video of the wildfires rapidly approaching Riviera Country Club.Reporters in the area have estimated the fires are moving at 2-3 football fields PER MINUTE. pic.twitter.com/U7KZjCMv84January 8, 2025
A video taken from a property which sits directly adjacent to the golf course, shared by @TeeTimesPub on X, showed just how close the fire was to Riviera - which is scheduled to host the Genesis Invitational next month as well as the 2026 US Women’s Open, the 2028 Olympic Golf events and the 2031 US Open.
Several more photos posted on social media on Tuesday - one of which was from a plane heading towards LAX - further highlighted the fire's size and proximity to Riviera.
The 2025 Genesis Invitational is scheduled to take place between February 13-16, with Tiger Woods set to act as tournament host once again.
According to NBC News, almost 50,000 people had left affected areas of California as of 4am on Wednesday, January 8 with three separate fires across LA all still at 0% contained.
That blank patch is Riviera CC. https://t.co/QsYqp3uEU6January 8, 2025
More than 300,000 energy customers have also been left without power, while many schools and businesses are planning temporary closures on Wednesday and Thursday.
As well as the Palisades Fire, California is being affected by the Eaton Fire - which has spread across 100 acres through Altadena, Pasadena, Arcadia, and Sierra Madre - plus the Hurst Fire in Sylmar at roughly 500 acres.
The Riv now in the mandatory evacuation zone pic.twitter.com/uR4GCxWpdOJanuary 7, 2025
Emergency services said that the strong winds are set to increase into Wednesday and are expected to continue into Thursday, limiting the chance that further damage could be avoided.
Governor of California, Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as a result of what he described as "unprecedented" blazes and has announced the deployment of more than 1,400 firefighters in an attempt to control the natural disaster.
At the time of writing, no fatalities had been noted, but "multiple burn victims" - including a 25-year-old female firefighter - were said to be among the injured, according to LAFD spokesperson, Erik Scott.
