"Tiger Woods shares reasoning behind challenging choice to relocate Genesis tournament to Torrey Pines"

Tiger Woods acknowledged that it was "extremely challenging" to move The Genesis Invitational to Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego due to the recent wildfires in California.

The tournament, which is hosted by Woods and his foundation, was originally set to take place at Riviera Country Club in the heavily affected Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles from Feb. 13-16.

In a TGL match where his Jupiter Links Golf Club team narrowly defeated Rory McIlroy's Boston Common Golf squad 4-3 in overtime, Woods spoke about the difficult discussions he had with the owners of Riviera CC, the Watanabes. "Riv is just not ready," he said. "We wanted to stay on the West Coast, which limited our options to possibly Pebble Beach, Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego, or Palm Springs. We had to be considerate of the victims affected by the fires and their needs."

"Fortunately, we were able to work with the city of San Diego and stay within Southern California," Woods continued. "Given the challenges in LA, it was important for us to remain in the region as everyone who grew up here can understand the impact of these fires. It's a tough situation, and we want to be respectful of that."

Woods himself was born and raised in Southern California.

Torrey Pines, a regular stop on the tour since 1968, was also the venue for last week's Farmers Insurance Open. The public course has also hosted the U.S. Open twice, with Woods winning in 2008 and Spaniard Jon Rahm claiming victory in 2021.

The PGA Tour announced that The Genesis Invitational will return to Riviera in 2026, and the course is also slated to host golf events in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I believe that being in Southern California will allow us to raise more funds for those affected by the fires," Woods said.