Tiger Woods has opened up about the difficult decision to move the Genesis Invitational.
The tournament Woods hosts takes place annually at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. However, after the area’s recent wildfires, it was moved to Torrey Pines in San Diego, the site of last week’s Farmers Insurance Invitational.
It was a tough call, but ultimately the tournament could not be staged in Woods’s hometown at Riviera, which has hosted the Genesis 60 times in the tournament’s 99-year history. It was important, though, to ensure the event remained close to home.
“The meeting we had was very difficult with the Watanabes,” Woods said after playing in Monday night’s TGL match, referring to the family that owns the private club. “Riv is just not ready. We want to stay within—on the West Coast, and it narrowed those options down to possibly up near Pebble or to Phoenix or to Vegas or to San Diego or to Palm Springs. There were so many different options out on the table, and we were trying to be understanding to all the victims that these fires have caused, has brought to them.”
Woods made his PGA Tour debut at Riviera in 1992 as a 16-year-old and missed the cut. He has never won the Genesis, but has played the event in each of the last two years even as injuries have caused the 15-time major champion to play a limited schedule.
It is unknown if he will play this year, but if he does, it’ll be on a course where Woods has won eight times including the 2008 U.S. Open.
The Genesis, taking place Feb. 13-16, is a signature event that boasts a $20 million purse. Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champion.
But most importantly, this year's Genesis will help give back to those recently affected in the Los Angeles area.
“The fact that we were able to, with the city of San Diego, were able to stay within Southern California, with respect to the difficulties in LA, I think it’s important that we were able to stay in Southern California because everyone who was born and raised out in Southern Cal can all relate to the fires,” Woods said. “It’s a difficult situation, and we want to be very sensitive to that.
“I think because we’re in Southern California, I think we’re going to be able to raise more money for all the losses that have incurred.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tiger Woods Details ‘Difficult’ Decision to Move Genesis Invitational After Wildfires .
