Professional golfer Eldrick “Tiger” Woods is undergoing major surgery for multiple leg injuries following a serious vehicle collision in California on Tuesday morning.
“He is currently in surgery” and “we thank you for your privacy and support,” his agent, Mark Steinberg, told Golf Digest.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced the “roll-over” in Rolling Hills Estates on Tuesday afternoon, explaining that the single-vehicle crash, which occurred early in the morning, required the “jaws of life” to remove the professional golfer from the wreckage. The 45-year-old Woods suffered injuries that required immediate transportation to the hospital.
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
FOX 11 reported, “Woods was in the area to film something at the luxury Terranea Resort” and “lost control of the vehicle while traveling downhill” because he was “unfamiliar with the steep terrain.”
BREAKING: Tiger Woods transported to hospital with injuries following vehicle crash with "major damage," LA County Sheriff's Dept. says. pic.twitter.com/hxcGYAig8D
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 23, 2021
According to Golf Digest, Woods was in the state to host the PGA Tour’s weekend Genesis Invitational and spent Monday on the Rolling Hills Country Club golf course with Dwayne Wade and David Spade to shoot something for a film, “giving on-course lessons to a number of celebrities, but he mostly provided instruction and hit a few putts.” While the Digest notes that Woods “was in good spirits on Monday,” concerns began to surface after he “did not arrive to the course for the second day of shooting.”
Woods recently underwent a fifth back surgery, keeping him away from competitions until an upcoming MRI before he could ramp up practicing and training for a return to competition. During the Monday shoot, Woods “did not hit balls or play any holes.”