Tiger Woods, one of the world’s most beloved golfers, was identified as the driver of a solo car crash Tuesday morning. Woods was just south of downtown Los Angeles when his car crossed over the median and went rolling into the ditch, nearly missing a utility pole. The 2021 Genesis GV80 SUV Woods was driving ended up a few hundred feet from the road after striking a tree. Local law enforcement announced that weather conditions were not a factor for the crash, but that it is possible Woods may have been speeding. 

   When local officials arrived at the scene of the crash, Woods was conscious,alert and seemed to be in shock. After using the Jaws of life to pull Woods’ out of his totaled car, the local officials were able to see extensive damage had been done to Woods’ legs during the impact of the crash. Woods was escorted to the hospital and underwent several hours of surgery to repair his lower right leg and ankle. Dr. Anish Mahajan, the Chief Medical Officer of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said Woods suffered multiple open fractures in his right leg. Mahajan also stated that the surgeons placed a rod in Woods’ right tibia and used screws and pins to stabilize the injuries in his foot and ankle. Woods also suffered trauma in the muscle and tissue of his right leg, which required the doctors to release pressure to stop the swelling. 

   Woods has since been released from surgery and is currently recovering in the hospital. Woods, who typically resides in Florida, was in LA over the weekend and made an appearance at the Genesis Invitational which is organized and hosted by his foundation. Woods stayed an extra few days in LA to help out in a film being produced by GolfTV, in which he gives lessons to famous athletes and actors. On Monday, Woods was seen playing with David Spade and Dwayne Wade, among others. On Tuesday, Woods was set to play with NFL stars Drew Brees and Justin Herbert.

   As of right now it is too soon to predict what this means for Woods’ season and career.  Woods has not officially started an event since the 2020 masters and was planning to focus on the 2021 Masters coming up in April. Woods has also been dealing with injuries for the last few years including five back surgeries. A long road to recovery lays ahead of Woods before the world will see him out on the course again.