Pacific Palisades golf tournament at Riviera Country Club to be held without spectators
By Chad Winthrop
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 PGA Genesis Invitational in Pacific Palisades will be played without spectators in attendance.
According to tournament organizers, the tournament, to be held February 15-21 at The Riviera Country Club, will be broadcast on GOLF Channel and CBS.
“The health and well-being of the community, our players and everyone at The Genesis Invitational remains our top priority,” tournament director Mike Antolini said. “Throughout our extensive planning, it became clear that due to the pandemic the best way to ensure the safety for all involved is to hold the tournament without spectators. We are certainly going to miss the roars of the crowds, but we look forward to welcoming everyone back to Riviera next year.”
For over 90 years The Genesis Invitational has been a memorable event on the professional golf tour entertaining millions of fans in L.A. and around the world.
The tournament, previously an “open” was elevated last year by the PGA to an “invitational”, giving the tournament more prestige. Opens, like the U.S. Open, have requirements in place for golfers who want to play but any golfer who meets those criteria can attempt to play their way into the field by entering qualifying events. An invitational is not open to anyone attempting to qualify as contestants are invited from a small number of professionals.
New in 2021, The Genesis Invitational will offer games, activities and more to keep fans engaged with the tournament while watching the broadcast. Additionally, the tournament is taking its family village virtual in 2021 with digital activities, challenges, education resources and more for kids ages 5-12. These fan enhancement elements will be available in the coming weeks.
