
The golf legend Tiger Woods, who was born and raised in California, is speaking out to offer his support to the victims of the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
Woods Voices Support For Wildfire Victims
Woods, 49, was born in Cypress, California, about 45 miles away from Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Sadly, much of this area has now burned to the ground.
On Tuesday, Woods announced he would step up to help the victims of the deadly fires.
“The devastation that is ongoing with the LA fires is such a tragedy and being from California, it hits home,” Woods said in a statement posted to social media. “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.”
“We plan to provide an update on our own charitable efforts to help these communities in the coming weeks,” he later added. “Stay strong LA!”
Related: US Swimmer Gary Hall Jr. Reveals He Lost All Of His Olympic Gold Medals In LA Wildfires
Woods Talks The Genesis Invitational
The Genesis Invitational golf tournament is still set to take place in Pacific Palisades next month. When asked about this, Woods deflected the question, telling Sports Illustrated that “there are so many other things that are bigger than that.”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, Woods was joined by his fellow California natives Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala at the SoFi Center for the TGL’s second match between his Jupiter Links team and the Los Angeles Golf Club.
“It’s just sad,” Woods lamented. “Max and I have grown up there. We’re So Cal kids. To see what has happened, I’ve known a couple of people who lost everything, so it’s just hard.
“As far as the Genesis, we’re just trying to figure everything out and make sure that everyone is safe and we have meetings scheduled going forward,” he continued. “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’s lost homes and had their lives changed.”
Indeed, Homa, who won the 2021 Genesis Invitational, was quick to agree with Woods.
“It’s devastating,” Homa stated. “I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the golf tournament. No offense to Tiger and TGR (Tiger’s foundation) and Genesis, but 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 So Cal.”
“It’s been really tough, but again, I’m just very happy that a lot of people have gotten out, been safe,” he concluded.
The Wildfires Rage On
At the time of this writing, the wildfires continue to rage on. The death toll is now at 25 people, and 35 others are also unaccounted for.
The same day that Woods released his statement, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley previously warned that “life-threatening and destructive and widespread winds” are in the region. This could cause new wildfires to form, or additionally make the ones that are already burning even worse.
“Extreme fire danger will continue thru Wed. PDS Red Flag Warnings are for the extreme of the extreme fire weather scenarios,” the NWS Los Angeles wrote on social media. “In other words, this setup is about as bad as it gets. Stay aware of your surroundings. Be prepared to evacuate. Avoid anything that can spark a fire.#cawx.”
This has obviously been a devastating time for the people of Southern California. Please join us in saying a prayer for all those impacted by these wildfires.
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