Tiger Woods said Tuesday that no decisions have been made regarding the status of next month’s Genesis Invitational as the area continues to grapple with devastating wildfires.
Woods, who grew up near Anaheim, California, said after his TGL debut in South Florida that “there are a lot of other things more important” than hosting the $20 million event that the Tour has donated to his foundation. Genesis is being held on the Riviera, which has not suffered any damage so far, but is located in the hard-hit Pacific Palisades region.
“It’s just sad,” Woods told reporters at the SoFi Center. “Max (Homa) and I grew up there. We’re SoCal kids. To see what happened, I know several people who lost everything, so it’s just hard.
“As far as Genesis goes, we’re just trying to figure everything out and make sure everyone’s safe. We also have meetings planned in the future. But right now we’re not really focused on the tournament. “It’s more about what we can do to help all those who are struggling, who have lost their homes and have had their lives changed.”
Last week, the Tour said in a note to players that it continues to monitor the situation in Southern California and there is a possibility that the event scheduled for Feb. 13-16 may be moved to another location.
Woods has not competed in an official event since the Open Championship was held last July. He underwent another back surgery in the fall before returning to play with his son Charlie at the PNC Championships last month.
Woods said his health is not a concern at this time. “My game isn’t very good,” he said.
Homa, a former Genesis tournament winner who is on Woods’ TGL team, said that “right now it seems silly to over-focus on a golf tournament while people are still playing it and living in a bit of fear in SoCal.”
