Genesis Invitational moved from Pacific Palisades, but fire relief efforts still top of mind

The 2025 Genesis Invitational golf tournament, which kicks off Thursday, will be played at Torrey Pines in San Diego instead of Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades due to the devastating fires.

Despite the change in venue, fire relief efforts are top of mind, especially for the golfers born and raised in Los Angeles.

"I've been to the area so much and I have family there and tons of friends there and I've driven those streets," said pro golfer Max Homa, who is from Valencia. "When I turned on the news, I knew exactly where they were... It just hit me harder. I'm very, very proud to be from Los Angeles and I am looking forward to being a part of and continuing to watch the city rebuild and everyone come together."

Genesis will donate $8 million to their initiative California Rises by giving 100 of the their vehicles used during the tournament to groups supporting those efforts and families who may have lost their car in the fires. Also, for every birdie and eagle made during the tournament, the company will donate $300, and if there's a hole-in-one, $10,000.

"All ticketing fees for tickets purchased for the Genesis Invitational will be donated to California Rises. Then, when you get on site, you can go into the golf shop, into the merchandise tent, you can buy special exclusive California Rises merchandise - 100% of the proceeds will benefit the California Rises initiative. You can go to the Genesis lounge behind the 9th tee. You can write a postcard to a first responder," said Mike Antolini, the tournament director of the Genesis Invitational.

Golf fans from L.A. are encouraged to attend the tournament, not just to see the best golfers in the world, but to celebrate the resiliency of those in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

"We really love our fans who have supported that tournament for so many years... We feel for them. We know a lot of them are affected by the fires... We're going to do everything we can to support the communities in the greater LA area... and ideally we'll be back at Riviera next year," said Tedros Mengiste, the COO of Genesis Motor North America.