Plane crash lands next to golfers at Riviera Country Club

As golfers at iconic Riviera Country Club tried to sneak in a Friday afternoon round, they saw a surprising site. A small plane crash landed and ended up going right next to them.

The plane was initially heading toward Santa Monica Airport near Los Angeles, according to Golfweek. was then diverted and made the emergency landing at Riviera at approx. 1 p.m. local time. None of the three people on board were hurt.

As Golfweek noted, air traffic controllers tend to divert pilots toward golf courses for emergency landings due to the amount of space to do so. Harrison Ford famously had a similar instance in 2015 at Santa Monica Airport, landing at another nearby course. It’s unclear why the plane crash-landed.

This happened at Riv today. I pray I’m never this late for a tee time, but I do pray for the means to pull up this way if I was 😂 pic.twitter.com/00RzIdMrb8

— Roger Steele (@RogerSteeleJr) May 2, 2025

One of the iconic courses on the PGA Tour, Riviera has hosted one U.S. Open and two PGA Championships since its founding in 1926. It also hosted the 1998 U.S. Senior Open and 2017 U.S. Amateur, and is set to play host for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Riviera is also traditionally the home of the Genesis Invitational, hosted by Tiger Woods, and has been at the course since 1999 when it was the Nissan Open. However, this year’s event was moved due to the Pacific Palisades wildfires. The tournament eventually moved to the South Course at Torrey Pines.

“The PGA TOUR’s focus continues to be on the safety and well-being of those affected by the unprecedented natural disaster in Greater Los Angeles,” the Tour said in a statement at the time. “We are grateful for the life-saving efforts of first responders and the tireless work being done to put an end to the tragic wildfires.

“In collaboration with Genesis, The Riviera Country Club, and TGR Live, and out of respect for the unfolding situation, we have determined that the 2025 Genesis Invitational will be played at an alternate location the week of February 10-16. A venue update and additional tournament information will be provided in the coming days. The PGA Tour is identifying the most impactful ways the tournament can support the Los Angeles community and the ongoing relief efforts.”