Tiger Woods said he doesn’t know the status of The Genesis Invitational, the annual tournament he hosts in Los Angeles. That’s not his focus. It’s on the people impacted by the wildfires that have decimated portions of a city that is close to his heart.

California-native Tiger Woods plans to arrange charitable efforts to help communities affected by the Los Angeles-area wildfires in the coming weeks. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

“It’s just sad,” Woods said Tuesday evening after the TGL match between his Jupiter Links Golf Club and Los Angeles Golf Club. “Max (Homa, Woods’ Jupiter teammate) and I have grown up there. We’re SoCal kids. To see what has happened, I’ve known a couple people that have lost everything, so it’s just hard.”

While The Riviera Country Club, the historic course that hosts The Genesis Invitational each year, has not been damaged by the fires, it is just a couple miles from some of the worst damage wreaked by the fires that have ravaged portions of Los Angeles.

Riviera is located in the same Pacific Palisades neighborhood hit hard by the Palisades Fire, the largest of the multiple fires burning throughout the Los Angeles area. The Genesis Invitational is currently scheduled for Feb. 13-16 at Riviera, though it is uncertain if the tournament can be played as scheduled at Riviera.

“We’re trying to just figure everything out and make sure that everyone is safe and we have meetings scheduled going forward,” Woods said Tuesday evening. “But as of right now, we’re not really focused on the tournament. It’s more about what we can do to help everyone who’s struggling, who’ve lost homes and had their lives changed.”

Woods’ comments followed a social media post earlier in the day in which he pledged support to the recovery efforts and praised the first responders who have battled the fires.

“The devastation that is ongoing with the LA fires is such a tragedy and being from California, it hits home,” Woods said on X. “My heart is with those who have suffered unimaginable loss. Thank you to the incredible heroes that are the first responders helping to contain and save the community of Los Angeles.

Woods was born in Cypress, California, 25 miles south of Los Angeles.

“We plan to provide an update on our own charitable efforts to help these communities in the coming weeks. Stay Strong LA!”

The catastrophic fires roaring through Los Angeles have destroyed more than 12,000 structures across 60 square miles and killed at least 25 people as of Tuesday, per CBS News, with roughly 90,000 people in Los Angeles County still under evacuation zones. The ongoing fire is being called the worst in the city’s history as emergency personnel work to try and stop the flames fueled by strong Santa Ana winds.

The Palisades Fire had burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed more than 5,000 homes, as of Tuesday evening. The fires were only 17% contained as of Tuesday evening, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The PGA TOUR said in an earlier statement that it is monitoring the situation in Los Angeles, but that the immediate concern is for the health and welfare of those in the affected communities. Homa, a past champion of The Genesis Invitational who grew up in nearby Valencia, said all of his friends and family are safe but some have lost their homes in the fires.

“It’s devastating,” Homa said Tuesday night. “I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the golf tournament. … It seems silly at the moment to be overly focused on a golf tournament when people are still continuing to have this go-on and living in a bit of fear in SoCal. It’s been really tough, but again, I’m just very happy that a lot of people have gotten out, been safe.

“I know it’s an amazing city, one that’s obviously very near and dear to my heart and I know they’ll rebuild, so hopefully these fires can die down. But I think the L.A. Fire Department has done an amazing job. It’s been really impressive to watch all their bravery and hard work. Our hearts go out to them. It’s been tough to see.”

Los Angeles-area native Sahith Theegala has also pledged to raise money for fire relief efforts through the TOUR’s West Coast Swing. The sister of Theegala’s caddie, Carl Smith, is among those who lost homes in the fire. Theegala originally pledged to donate $100 per birdie and $250 per eagle at the Sony Open in Hawaii, then announced Saturday that he would extend those efforts through the next several weeks.

“L.A. is super resilient, one of the best cities in the world for a reason, and a lot of that is the people,” said Theegala, who grew up in Chino Hills and attended Pepperdine University in Malibu. “A lot of resilient people. A huge shout-out to the first responders. They’re putting their lives in the lines to save not only people’s lives but people’s livelihoods.

“It’s going to be tough to see what comes on the other side. But I know we’re going to bounce back as a city, as we always do, and we’re going to be better than ever.”

To donate go to the American Red Cross or Direct Relief.