In January, massive wildfires in Los Angeles devastated sections of the city and its surroundings, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. Some lost their lives. Mo Martin, an area native and 2014 Women’s British Open champion, lost her childhood home in Altadena.
“National news moved on, but the rebuild has not,” Martin said recently. “We still have so much ahead of us, and a lot of the fire victims, and also the families of the people who lost their lives. There’s a lot of emotions still left to process”
This week, the LPGA’s JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro looks to draw eyes to L.A. fire relief efforts. Starting today at El Caballero Country Club, the tournament is the only PGA Tour or LPGA event in Los Angeles this year, after the men’s circuit moved the Genesis Invitational to the San Diego area following the fires. A big part of the reason the LPGA event is staying in L.A.: JM Eagle and Plastpro founders and philanthropists Walter and Shirley Wang. For this year’s championship, the Wangs have pledged at least $6.5 million to L.A. fire relief efforts.
“It goes back to something my mom [Shirley] always says: success is only as good as the good it creates,” said Walter Wang Jr., Walter and Shirley’s son. “We have so many roots here in L.A. We know so many people, employees and friends. This is when we have to step up to the plate.”
While Walter and Shirley weren’t born in California, they have deep connections to the state. Walter attended the University of California, Berkeley, and Shirley attended UCLA. They moved full-time to L.A. two decades ago and started their philanthropic efforts, including making the JM Eagle LA Championship the first LPGA regular-season event with a $3 million purse in 2023.
“We are really Angelenos,” Walter said. “We’re very much a part of the community. I deeply believe that when you’re part of a community, if the time is right, if you can lend a helping hand, you must.”
Walter Jr. says he knows a lot of people who lost their homes in the fires, including a friend from seventh grade with whom he played football. Many JM Eagle employees also lost their homes, and they took shelter at the company office building near Los Angeles International Airport.
“They literally stayed in our office because they had nowhere else to go,” Walter Jr. said.
Caroline Canales, a Calabasas resident, will be making her professional debut at the tournament. She earned status on the developmental Epson Tour for this season and recently finished T30 at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Canales is finishing her degree at UCLA, where she was when the fires broke out. Luckily, her house survived, but some of her friends’ houses and her uncle’s hair salon in the Palisades weren’t so lucky.
“I think everyone in L.A. has experienced a loss in some way or another, whether they were directly affected or not,” Canales said. “I think the whole city has been feeling it the last couple months so I’m very grateful for all the Wangs are doing.”
“We don’t ever tell anybody that we need help. But we do, and because of your efforts, you’ve really helped change the lives of our firefighters and their family.” – Chris Stine
Martin’s mother and brother still lived in her childhood home when they had to evacuate to Martin’s house in Redondo Beach. They came with their four dogs and a few other items they could pack. However, something was missing.
“I was unpacking salami and cheese, and I looked at [my mom] and said, you brought salami and cheese, but you didn’t get my [British Open] trophy,” Martin said.
While she isn’t in the field this year, Martin says she is grateful for what the Wangs are doing for the L.A. community. During a tournament press conference on March 31, she thanked them directly.
“Walter and Shirley, you saw how dark those days were, how much smoke there was, how much damage,” Martin said. “Very, very scary times. So thank you from the bottom of my heart that I still have my family with me and for all you’ve done.”
At that same press conference was Chris Stine, president of Los Angeles Firemen’s Relief Association. The association supports active and retired firemen and their families. Many of these first responders lost their homes during the fires, and Stine says he is grateful for the Wangs’ charitable donations to the firefighters, even if they sometimes have trouble asking for help.
“We don’t ever tell anybody that we need help,” Stine said. “But we do, and because of your efforts, you’ve really helped change the lives of our firefighters and their family.”
There will be complimentary admission to the tournament for anyone affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires, including the first responders. First responders and military also have a VIP hospitality area on the 14th tee.
In addition to the Wangs and first responders, LPGA players are doing their part for the relief efforts. Hannah Green, the defending champion, pledged $500 to relief funds for every birdie. If she makes an eagle, she will donate $1,000.
“California has been such a special place to my heart,” Green said. “I just want to give back in any way possible.”
“This is going to be a multi-decade project to rebuild and people need to be reminded that it’s not over yet.” – Walter Wang Jr.
The sentiment rings true for Canales.
“To be a part of something that’s really contributing in such a great way to the relief efforts, it’s really exciting,” Canales said. “I would be already so excited to play in any LPGA event as my professional debut, but to also play for something greater makes it even more special.”
The JM Eagle LA Championship and the donations that come with it will certainly have an impact on the community. However, both the players and Wangs stress that more has to be done.
“This is going to be a multi-decade project to rebuild and people need to be reminded that it’s not over yet,” Walter Jr. said. “It’s only the beginning.”