Game Changing Moments – Tiger’s debut in 1992

Tiger Woods’ connection with Riviera is a natural one. It’s an hour away from where Woods was born in Cypress, California. As a kid, he attended the Los Angeles Open at Riviera with his father. Most notably, it was where he made his first PGA TOUR start as a 16-year-old amateur.

Watch Sam Snead reflect on Tiger Woods’ PGA TOUR debut from Riviera in 1992

The association to Riviera has only deepened throughout Tiger’s professional and philanthropic career. In 2017, Tiger became the host of the Genesis Open, with proceeds from the tournament benefiting his TGR Foundation and its work in empowering students to pursue their passions through education. Two years later, the tournament was elevated to The Genesis Invitational, featuring an increased prize purse and an exclusive field of top PGA TOUR professionals starting with the 2020 tournament.

As tournament host of The Genesis Invitational, Tiger joined Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to host annual invitationals on the PGA TOUR calendar. The elevated status of The Genesis Invitational celebrates not only Tiger’s accomplishments on the course, but also his legacy off the course. Through innovative STEM curricula, college-access and career readiness programs and educator professional development, TGR Foundation has provided resources and support to more than two million students over 25 years.

GAME CHANGING MOMENTS
The Genesis Invitational continues a longstanding tradition of professional golf in Los Angeles. Debuting in 1926 at Los Angeles Country Club as the Los Angeles Open, the tournament was staged at various courses throughout the Los Angeles area before permanently settling at The Riviera Country Club in 1973. The tournament and Riviera have seen many major moments in golf history over the years. In a new series, we look back at Game Changing Moments in the event’s history.