Published January 21, 2025
PGA Tour will move a tournament out of LA. Could it come to Scottsdale?
PGA Tour will move a tournament out of LA. Could it come to Scottsdale?
The PGA Tour announced Jan. 16 it would relocate the Genesis Invitational 2025 from the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles to another site in February because of the destructive wildfires happening in the area. Many in the golf world are speculating that Scottsdale could be the landing spot.
The Genesis Invitational, which is hosted by Tiger Woods, is scheduled to happen Feb. 10-16, but because of the course’s proximity to where fires have happened in Los Angeles, the tour decided it should be moved.
“In collaboration with Genesis, The Riviera Country Club and TGR Live, and out of respect for the unfolding situation, we have determined that The Genesis Invitational 2025 will be played at an alternate location the week of Feb. 10-16,” the PGA Tour said in its announcement. “A venue update and additional tournament information will be provided in the coming days.”
While the PGA Tour has not finalized the new location, several media outlets including the Palm Springs Desert Sun reported that several sites of the upcoming West Coast swing of the PGA Tour are being considered, including TPC Scottsdale.
The WM Phoenix Open will take place on Feb. 4-8, the week before the Genesis event, which gives the course some advantages and some drawbacks as an alternate landing spot for the California event. A report from Golf Monthly pointed out that all signage and sponsored spaces on the course would have to be changed out pretty much overnight if the Genesis was held in Scottsdale.
But on the plus side, larger infrastructure like grandstands and broadcasting rigs would already be in place. It would also benefit players who are doing both tournaments because they would be familiar with the course.
The Thunderbirds, the organization that hosts the WMPO, did not respond to the Business Journal when it reached out for comment on the possibility of accommodating the PGA Tour two weeks in a row.
The NFL recently moved one of its wild card playoff games from Los Angeles to State Farm Stadium in Glendale because of the wildfires. The event was heavily attended by both people traveling from California and locals.
