A wildfire is blazing through Pacific Palisades, and a PGA Tour venue is in the throes of trouble. The Riviera Country Club, home to Tiger Woods-hosted signature event, the Genesis Invitational, is within the evacuation zone. The news comes as Woods’s TGL geared up for its debut on ESPN Primetime. Whereas, the Genesis Invitational is set to be hosted next month.

The wildfire started around 10:30 AM local time and quickly spread over 200 acres within an hour. As of this report’s publication, it has spread over 1,260 acres, and thousands were forced to flee their home. 40 MPH wind speed, with gusts reaching 100 even, made it harder to contain the wildfire.

“Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW. The area is lawfully closed to public access,” reads a warning on CalFire’s official website. According to a CBS report, 30,000 people have been evacuated from the zone with over 10,000 houses still under threat. Westwood Recreation Center at 1350 South Sepulveda Blvd is currently the evacuation shelter.

Ahead of the TGL’s debut, fans are more worried about what happens next to Riviera. Just months back Augusta National was damaged because of Hurricane Helene. Now another disaster threatens to impact a crowd-favorite course.

Golf fans want Tiger Woods’s Riviera to be saved at all cost

The current updated map shows that the famed George C. Thomas-designed layout is under the mandatory evacuation zone. Fans are already worried about how much the wildfire would impact the famed venue. “If you’re near the area, get your water buckets and hoses and protect Riviera CC at all costs!” one user commented. Another added, “2025 continues to ruin my life. Please don’t hurt Riviera.” Notably, Riviera Country Club is also set to host the 2026 US Women’s Open, the 2028 US Olympics, and the 2031 US Open.

However, the layout is also a polarizing venue. While some wax lyrical about it, others can’t really see the appeal. Jason Day, when he was young, hated the course. But with time he now has a soft spot for the venue. Dustin Johnson is another who loves the course. 

Then there was Ben Hogan, who once dubbed the fourth hole the greatest par-3 in the country. “Almost every tour player who gets asked where he would play every day if he could mention Riviera. A true gem!” noted one user. Interestingly, Jack Nicklaus made his professional debut here in 1962. Walt Disney and Humphrey Bogart were notable members of the Riviera Country Club. Not everyone is enamored by history or its famed 18th hole. One person wrote, “That course is a dump.” 

Others were more worried about where the Genesis Invitational will be played now. “They’ll have to play at Tigers private course this year,” one user wrote, hinting at the Albany Resort in the Bahamas. It has been rare that a PGA Tour venue has been affected by wildfire. Back in 2017, Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa faced the wrath of wildfire. But only the grandstand was affected and that too after the tournament was done and dusted. 

Last year, Canada’s top-rated course, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, faced a similar trouble. A year before, at The Eastern Golf Club in Australia, a Greg Norman design suffered as a forest fire incinerated the clubhouse. More news from Pacific Palisades is awaited at the moment.