Tiger Woods is undergoing surgery after a severe rollover car crash in Los Angeles, officials say. His condition remains unclear.
The PGA golfer’s agent, Mark Steinberg, told Global News that Woods had suffered multiple leg injuries from the collision in an emailed statement.
“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,” the statement read.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department tweeted Woods, 45, was driving on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes at around 7:15 a.m. when the car crashed, sustaining major damage.
They said he needed to be pulled from the wreckage with the “jaws of life” by firefighters and paramedics and transported to a local hospital.
Emerging photos and video of the wreckage showed the overturned vehicle off the side of a road, with deployed airbags and significant damage to the car’s front and back ends.
The LASD said Woods was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
There was a second crash when a vehicle that had apparently stopped to help Woods got hit, Christopher Thomas, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, told the Associated Press. He added the wreck was very minor, and no one was hurt.
According to Golf Digest, Woods had been in L.A. for a two-day content shoot with the monthly magazine after hosting the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational, which took place between Feb. 18 and Feb. 21.
The PGA Tour said it was awaiting further information when Woods gets out of surgery.
“On behalf of the PGA TOUR and our players, Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers,” the statement read.
Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters Tournament in Georgia, said in a tweet that the “news of his accident is upsetting to all of us,” calling Woods “part of the Augusta National family.”
“We pray for him, for his full recovery and for his family during this difficult time,” he said.
Woods has won the tournament five times. Jack Nicklaus, the only American golfer to win more Masters than Woods (six), also took to Twitter after hearing the news to wish him a successful surgery.
“Barbara and I just heard about Tiger’s accident, and like everyone else, we are deeply concerned,” he said.
“We want to offer him our heartfelt support and prayers at this difficult time.”
Woods’ golfing career was already on pause at the time of the crash. On Jan. 19, the 15-time major champion’s social media team tweeted that he had a fifth surgery on his back after experiencing “discomfort” while playing at the PNC Championship in December.
They said he had undergone a “microdisectomy procedure to remove a pressurized disc fragment that was pinching his nerve” and was expected to make a full recovery.
This is the third time Woods has been involved in a car investigation.
In May 2017, he was arrested on a DUI charge after Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of his Mercedes parked awkwardly on the side of the road.
Woods later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and agreed to enter a diversion program that required he perform 20 hours of community service and attend a workshop where other people who had driven under the influence discussed how their lives were damaged by drunk driving.
In 2009, he drove his SUV over a fire hydrant and hit a tree outside of his Florida home, leading to reports of extramarital affairs that lost him most of his major sponsorships.
Shortly after, he announced he would be taking a break from golfing until 2010 and checked into a rehabilitation clinic for sex addiction.
More to come.
— With files from the Associated Press
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
