(Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- The morning wind roared and alone was cause for alarm, even before it pushed a massive firestorm toward destruction on an unprecedented level.

The devastating blaze that ripped through the striking Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, starting Jan. 7 of last year, was driven by a Santa Ana wind event with gusts of up to 80 mph that equated to a Category 1 hurricane.

The blaze chewed its way downhill through homes, schools, churches and businesses with torch-like intensity at times. It literally rose from the ashes of a prior fire that was believed to have been extinguished, raced in from the Santa Monica Mountains, toward the Pacific Ocean and then up scenic Pacific Coast Highway toward Malibu.

When it finally was contained after three weeks, it was labeled the most destructive in Los Angeles history. And yet the assessment does not properly articulate the literal and emotional damage that was done.

This week, a bit of normalcy returns to the area. Riviera Country Club will welcome many of the top golfers in the world to the Genesis Invitational, which was moved to San Diego a year ago in the fire's aftermath.

'Last year was just a horrific and terrible time for this entire community, what was going on just north of here,' tournament host Tiger Woods said Tuesday, inside a grand ballroom of the Spanish-style Riviera clubhouse, which sits about a half mile from the southern edge of last year's fire.

'That fire was almost out and then it just spread and ripped through here.'

While the Palisades Fire eventually got as close as a quarter mile from 17th green, the Riviera property itself was spared. Yet stark reminders remain.

Hundreds of vacant lots remain where homes once stood, while hundreds more construction projects take place. On Tuesday, following 24 hours of rain, smart phones screamed all over the Riviera property with an emergency warning of potential mud and debris flows nearby, with evacuation orders possible.

The fire has long since been extinguished. The danger remains. It is under that continued stress and strain that this week's tournament will take place.

'I think it's really important to come back to Riviera because it shows resiliency, and through tragedy we don't accept defeat,' Genesis chief operating officer Tedros Mengiste said Tuesday. '... That message, I hope, reverberates in the community because the community is still impacted and fighting to get back on its feet.'

Genesis CEO Jose Munoz said the luxury car brand has donated $8 million through its California Rises initiative that was launched last year and benefits first responders as well as the rebuild effort. Another $1 million donation to the initiative was announced Tuesday.

Damage totals from the Palisades Fire alone last year included nearly 7,000 structures destroyed, nearly 40 square miles burned and 12 lives lost.

PGA Tour players have already discussed the impact of returning to Riviera this week, where Sweden's Ludvig Aberg is technically the defending champion. The last player to win the tournament at Riviera was Japan's Hideki Matsuyama in 2024 when he dominated with a three-stroke victory over Luke List and Will Zalatoris.

Los Angeles-area native Collin Morikawa won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday to end a victory drought of more than two years. And when he was asked about future goals in the wake of the victory, he said his intention was to look no further than this week.

'My focus would be I would love to go and win at Riviera,' Morikawa said. 'It's one of my favorite courses out on tour. Being an L.A. kid, going out, enjoying that with family, friends, some great food, what has happened over the past year, year and a half with the fires.

'I think a lot is going to come together next week for the better and I hope people realize that.'

That would be welcome news for those not only impacted by the Palisades Fire, but the Altadena Fire some 30 miles away, near where Morikawa was raised in La Canada. That fire also started on Jan. 7 of last year.

Many in that middle-class area, at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, also are struggling to get back on their feet. In a one-year retrospective on the two major fires, the Los Angeles Times reported that less than 20% of requested rebuilding permits had been approved.

In Altadena, the report revealed that 70% of affected residents remain displaced. Between the two fires, 31 people were killed while more than 16,000 structures were destroyed.

Speaking for the Palisades area, which she governs, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said recovery will continue to be a 'multi-year effort.'

'Over the past year, Palisades residents have demonstrated a level of resilience and collective strength that has shown the entire country who Los Angeles is at its core,' Bass said at the one-year anniversary of the devastation. 'We don't turn away from our neighbors in their most challenging moments. We come together to support one another, to forge the path forward. To rebuild even stronger than before.'

Those putting on the Genesis Invitational this week, and those playing in it, intend to assist in that recovery.

'The whole community was devastated,' said Woods, who made his PGA Tour debut at Riviera as a 16-year-old amateur in 1992. '... It was just a devastating thing. People lost their lives, lost homes, lost valuables that they'll never, ever be able to replace. Hopefully we can make a positive impact this week.'

--Doug Padilla, Field Level Media