Tiger Woods has been in Los Angeles for the last week serving as the host of one of his PGA Tour events, The Genesis Invitational at Riviera, and presented Max Homa with the trophy after his win in a playoff on Sunday night.
During the final round, Woods provided an update on his health, as his continued back issues have kept him from competing since December. Tiger said he was remaining cautious, noting that after fusion surgery gave him new life in his career a few years ago, he only has one shot with his back now and won’t be rushing anything, even with the Masters looming in April.
On Tuesday morning, word emerged out of Los Angeles that Woods had been injured in a severe car accident when he rolled his vehicle which required the jaws of life to be used to extricate him from the vehicle after sustaining “major damage,” per the L.A. Sheriff’s Department.
This morning @LMTLASD responded to a roll-over collision in which @TigerWoods was injured. Please see our statement… pic.twitter.com/cSWOxKZC1w
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) February 23, 2021
L.A. news crews provided footage of the aftermath of the wreck, showing Woods’ car apparently rolling off of the road with severe damage.
Tiger Woods car pic.twitter.com/dgqouY6GJX
— Sons of Johnnie LeMaster (@SonsofJohnnieLe) February 23, 2021
https://twitter.com/KristinaRevay/status/1364298683135664128
UPDATES: Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg released a statement saying Tiger is in surgery after sustaining multiple leg injuries in the crash.
Story updated with statement from Woods' agent Mark Steinberg:
"Tiger Woods was in a single-car accident this morning in California where he suffered multiple leg injuries. He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support."https://t.co/z7kdbXOmLZ
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) February 23, 2021
Woods’ injuries were described as “moderate to critical” but non-life threatening. As more details rolled in, some clarifications were issued regarding the L.A. Sheriff’s initial description that the jaws of life were used, but firemen used hand tools instead.
LA fire captain clarifies that the jaws of life were NOT needed to extract Tiger from the car — hand tools were used
— Kavitha A. Davidson (@kavithadavidson) February 23, 2021
At a Tuesday afternoon news conference, an L.A. Sheriff’s spokesman said Woods was alive, conscious, and showed no signs of impairment when police arrived at the scene. Woods was reportedly on his way to another promotional shoot at an L.A. golf course.
Alex Villanueva, L.A. County Sheriff’s Department: When officers arrived at the scene of Tiger Woods' accident, there was no evidence of impairment.
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) February 23, 2021
LA Sheriff Dept confirms that Tiger was conscious while being removed from car and reiterated there were “no signs of impairment.”
— Will Gray (@WillGrayGolfbet) February 23, 2021
LA Sheriff's Department said deputies found Tiger Woods conscious, in “stable condition” with “serious injuries” to both legs. Also: “No evidence of impairment at this point in time.”
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) February 23, 2021