A historic golf course and a prestigious PGA Tour Olympic venue are threatened by the devastating wildfires ravaging the city of Los Angeles.
Deadly fires have swept through the luxurious enclave of Pacific Palisades, spreading rapidly through the City of Angels and reducing the affluent neighborhood and surrounding suburbs to ashes and rubble.
As heroic firefighters still battle hellish conditions on the front lines of at least five different fires, a mandatory evacuation zone has been established northwest of Los Angeles.
After destroying hundreds of properties, the Pacific Palisades Fire continues to threaten many more, including the nearly 100-year-old Riviera Country Club.
The golf course, one of the most historic in the United States, has fallen into the evacuation zone and is at risk of further devastation.
Photos showing Riviera with the wildfire approaching dangerously close on the horizon began circulating on social media on Wednesday, casting doubt on the course’s future.
Riviera Country Club, home of one of the PGA Tour’s most prestigious events, is under threat
As wildfires ravage Los Angeles, the course has been placed in the mandatory evacuation zone
The dangerous conditions come just over a month before Tiger Woods hosts the Genesis Invitational, one of the PGA Tour’s most prestigious tournaments, at Riviera.
The Genesis, which will be played from February 13 to 16, is one of the signature events on the PGA Tour calendar with a prize pool of $20 million.
Beyond the February tour event, Riviera will also host the 2026 US Women’s Open, golf events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the 2031 US Open.
Established in 1926 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, Riviera has hosted a PGA Tour event every year since 1973, with the exception of 1983 and 1998.
It also hosted the Los Angeles Open in 1929, 1930 and from 1945 to 1953, along with the 1948 US Open and the PGA Championship in 1983 and 1995.
“It’s sad because I played with four guys from Los Angeles today and they’re stressed,” Keegan Bradley said from this week’s event, the Sony Open. ‘Their families had to evacuate and their homes could disappear. It’s sad.’
So far, at least five people have lost their lives in the disaster: 2,000 structures destroyed and thousands of people left with nothing but ashes across the city.
The Genesis Invitational, hosted by Tiger Woods (left), will be held at Riviera in February.
More than 130,000 people are under evacuation orders, while Mandy Moore, Cary Elwes and Paris Hilton are among the stars who said they have lost their homes. Billy Crystal and his wife Janice lost their home of 45 years in the Palisades Fire.
In addition to Riviera, the world of sports and its stars have been affected by the deadly wildfires.
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, while the NFL continues to monitor the situation with both home teams preparing for the playoffs.
The Rams are scheduled to host the Minnesota Vikings for a wild card playoff matchup Monday night in Inglewood. The league revealed its contingency plan on Wednesday, stating that the game could be moved to the Arizona Cardinals’ stadium if necessary.
Meanwhile, according to Chris Haynes, NBA star Kawhi Leonard is ‘stepping away’ from the Los Angeles Clippers to help a family that has been evacuated due to the Pacific Palisades wildfire hours before the team’s game against the Nuggets.
In fact, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick and his family have already been evacuated from that same area, as he revealed to reporters on Wednesday: “Our family, my wife’s family, my twin sister wife, they have evacuated.” I know a lot of people are freaking out right now, including my family.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr is not in immediate danger, but told reporters that his 90-year-old mother Ann was among those evacuees from the Pacific Palisades fire on Wednesday.
So far, at least five people have lost their lives in the disaster and 2,000 structures have been destroyed.
What’s more, ESPN canceled Wednesday’s broadcast of NBA Today from its studio in Los Angeles, while schools near the Palisades fire, such as UCLA and Pepperdine, remain stable but prepared to cancel any number of sporting events at any time. . And FS1 host Emmanuel Acho revealed on Wednesday night that he too was forced to evacuate.
Another local Los Angeles club has already been a victim of the tragedy. Altadena Golf Course, located just under five miles from the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium, announced that it had not survived the fire in a heartbreaking post.
“It is with great sadness that we share the loss of the Altadena Golf Course,” the nine-hole course posted.
‘During this time, we are focused on supporting our community, our employees and everyone affected by this tragic event. “We extend our deepest gratitude to the brave firefighters, first responders and volunteers who are working on this.”
The club, which opened in 1910, added: “We regret to report that the Altadena Golf Course clubhouse did not survive the fire. We will come back stronger.”