Legendary golf pro Tiger Woods suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, throwing the future of his career even further in doubt following last year’s back surgery.
The 45-year-old PGA star, one of the most celebrated athletes of all time and a father of two, underwent extensive surgery for several hours that afternoon and evening before his rep released a statement saying he was awake and recovering.
Here’s what we know so far about the incident, the events leading up to it and what the outlook is for Woods:
Feb. 18—21, 2021: What Was Tiger Woods Doing in Los Angeles Days Before the Crash?
The PGA star was in town to host the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades that weekend. Woods did not play himself in the gold tournament because he was recovering from his fifth back surgery, which he underwent in December.
Feb. 22, 2021: One Day Before the Crash—Golfing With Celebs:
The Monday before the crash, Woods gave golf lessons to celebs such as Dwyane Wade, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Spade on-camera for day one of a two-day photo and video shoot for Golf Digest and GOLFTV.
“Tiger has a long-term partnership with Discovery developing exclusive content for GOLFTV and Golf Digest,” the latter outlet tells E! News in a statement. “He was filming his latest series with us on Monday which will see him giving on course instruction to a number of celebrities including Jada Pinkett Smith, Dwyane Wade and David Spade. He was due to continue filming with us on Tuesday.”
Feb. 23, 2021: The Crash:
Driving solo in a 2021 Genesis GV80, a luxury SUV, Woods heads from a resort in Rancho Palos Verdes to the Rolling Hills Country Club for the shoot. Around 7 a.m. PT, on a clear day, while driving downhill along the winding Hawthorne Boulevard—a frequent scene of car accidents and where the speed limit is 45 mph, he loses control of the vehicle.
