Tiger Woods, a 15-time major champion and winner of a record 82 PGA Tour tournaments seriously injured in a car accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Woods, 45, underwent several hours of emergency surgery to repair what doctors termed “major orthopedic injuries” to his right lower leg and ankle.
Here’s everything we know about the Wednesday morning accident and condition of Woods:
How is Tiger’s condition after the operation?
In a statement posted on Tiger’s Twitter account at 12:30 p.m. CET on Wednesday, Dr. Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer and interim CEO of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Woods has suffered comminuted open fractures – bones that have broken into more than two pieces and with breaks in the skin – in the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula his right leg.
– Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 24, 2021
Mahajan said surgeons inserted a rod into the tibia of Woods’ right leg there and used a combination of screws and pins to stabilize injuries to the foot and ankle. Mahajan said Woods also suffered trauma to the muscles and soft tissues of his right leg, requiring surgeons to “loosen the shell of the muscles to relieve the pressure due to swelling”.
Mahajan’s statement did not contain any details about Wood’s left leg. In an earlier statement Tuesday, Woods agent Mark Steinberg said he suffered “multiple leg injuries”.
The statement said Woods was “awake, responsive and restful” after the operation.
When and where did the accident happen?
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Members of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department describe the scene of the Tiger Woods single car accident.
Woods was in a car accident just after 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday near the Rolling Hills Estates-Rancho Palos Verdes border, about 30 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Woods was the sole occupant of a 2021 Genesis GV80 SUV at the time of the wreck.
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During a news conference on Tuesday, LA District Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Woods was traveling north on Hawthorne Boulevard at “relatively higher speeds than normal” while descending a steep hill in a “high accident rate” area. He said there were no skid marks in the road and no sign of Woods trying to brake.
According to Villanueva, Woods’ vehicle hit the center divider, destroyed a wooden “Welcome to Rolling Hills Estates” sign and rolled over several times. After the SUV crossed the two south-facing lanes, it hit a curb and a tree before settling down several hundred feet from the road. His vehicle just missed a power pole.
According to Villanueva, the weather didn’t matter and authorities didn’t immediately know how fast Woods was driving in an accident. Carlos Gonzalez, deputy sheriff of the LA county, said he sometimes discourages people from going well over the speed limit in the 45-mile zone, where signs warn truckers not to use lower gears because of the steep incline.
Villanueva said there was no immediate evidence that Woods was compromised at the scene.
What was Wood’s condition like when authorities found him?
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Deputy Carlos Gonzalez shares details of the Tiger Woods car accident, including Tiger’s initial response to the accident.
Gonzalez first arrived at the scene and found that Woods was struggling to get out of his SUV. He said Woods was buckled up and conscious and alert.
“I spoke to him. I asked his name. He told me his name was Tiger, and that was when I recognized him straight away,” Gonzalez said during the press conference.
Gonzalez said Woods could answer questions about what day it is and where it is.
“Tiger was able to speak to me clearly,” said Gonzalez, who added that Woods appeared “incredibly calm,” probably because he was in shock.
Due to damage to the front end of the vehicle and the fact that the SUV was lying on its side, emergency services had to get Woods out of the car through the windshield. LA County Fire Department chief Daryl Osby said the forces used a pry bar and ax to remove the windshield and get Woods to safety.
Villanueva noted that the air bags deployed and the SUV’s cabin was still intact, giving Woods a “cushion to survive the accident”.
“I will say that it is very lucky that Mr. Woods got out alive,” said Gonzalez.
Gonzales said Woods could not stand on his own, which is why the forces removed him from the scene on a backboard. Woods was vigilant enough to ask respondents to call his manager to collect his golf clubs and luggage.
Villanueva said it would take “days to weeks” for officials to complete their investigation into the crash. They pulled videos from traffic cameras to see if another car or Tier was causing Woods’ car to leave the road. Data may also be extracted from the car’s computer system to determine how fast Woods was driving at the time of the wreck.
Why was Woods in LA?
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Justin Thomas worries about Tiger Woods and prays for his family after learning of his crash.
Woods performed but didn’t play at the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades that weekend. His foundation helps organize and host the tournament.
Woods stayed in the LA area filming outtakes and scenes for Discovery’s own GolfTV, a streaming company in which he has an interest. In a statement, GolfTV said Woods was filming instructions for a series on the course.
– GOLFTV (@GOLFTV) February 24, 2021
On Monday, he worked with actor David Spade, former NBA player Dwyane Wade and actress Jada Pinkett Smith at the Rolling Hills Country Club. Woods was scheduled to team up with quarterback Justin Herbert of Los Angeles Chargers and quarterback Drew Brees of New Orleans Saints in another shoot on Tuesday. He was apparently being escorted to the Rolling Hills Country Club from a nearby resort when he crashed.
Can Tiger recover from his injuries to return to course?
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Scott Van Pelt responds to news of the Tiger Woods car accident.
It is too early to tell, but he is undoubtedly on a long and arduous recovery from his injuries. He’s already dealt with debilitating back injuries. On December 23rd he has underwent his fifth back procedure Relieve pain and discomfort.
During a television interview with CBS spokesman Jim Nantz During the final round of the Genesis Invitational on Sunday, Woods said he hoped to play in the Masters in April. He is a five-time winner of the event, most recently in 2019.
“God, I hope so. I have to go there first,” Woods said in an interview. “A lot of it is based on my surgeons, doctors and therapists, and getting it right. This is the only back I have; I don’t have much wiggle room left.”
Wood’s last official start was at the 2020 Masters, which was played last November after being postponed from its typical April date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was 38th. Woods is 50th in the world rankings, having played just nine times in the 2020 season. In December, Woods played with his 12-year-old son Charlie at his final public golf event, the PNC Championship, before undergoing his final back surgery.
