One name has been the face of
professional golf, or at least the sport’s most recognizable face, for quite
some time now. Issues with his personal life aside, Eldrick Tont Woods, aka
Tiger Woods, has been one of the biggest athletic superstars in the world,
particularly for a “quiet” sport that is not as intense as basketball. Woods
would help push golf into the forefront of major sports events, though he would
also worry golf course owners due to his insane skills, leading to the recourse
of “Tiger-proofing” tournaments. Such is Tiger’s star power that when he got
into a road accident this Tuesday, it immediately got the world’s attention.
CNN tells us that golf living legend Tiger Woods figured in an
automobile crash the morning of February 23 at Rancho Palos Verdes, just
outside Los Angeles. Further details were given that same day at a news
conference with Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Woods was driving downhill
along winding Hawthorne Boulevard in a 2021 Genesis GV80 tournament courtesy
car, when he crashed through the curb and rolled over in the roadside brush. He
survived the accident but reportedly sustained some serious leg injuries.
LACSD Deputy Carlos Gonzales,
first to arrive at the scene, described Woods as being unable to stand on his
own on account of his injury, but remained lucid and capable of communicating
with emergency personnel. The fact that the only damage so far was to the
golfer’s legs was attributed to the Genesis deploying its airbags and Tiger
wearing his seatbelt, preventing an otherwise potentially-fatal crash. Investigation
of the accident site revealed that there were no skid marks indicating that
Woods attempted to hit the brakes when he lost control, meaning that he drove
off the road and tumbled the car at “relatively greater” speed.
After being extricated from his
vehicle, Tiger Woods was taken by ambulance to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in
West Carson. The injuries to his legs were determined to be non-life threatening
compound fractures and that he underwent surgery for them, according to the
golfer’s agent. As news of the accident got out, the PGA Tour and the larger
world of sports began sending well-wishes for Tiger’s speedy recovery. Among
the words of encouragement were those from former Presidents Barack Obama and
Donald Trump, the latter having awarded Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom
back in 2019.
Image courtesy of LA Times
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