Tiger Woods is one lucky chap

By Al S. Mendoza

 

A miracle that he survived.

That was what a police officer described the car accident that befell Tiger Woods on Wednesday (Feb. 24, PH time).

Apparently driving fast, Tiger hit a median, lost control, struck trees and rolled to a stop on a hillside.

His SUV was almost a total wreck.

Police had to smash the windshield with an axe to extricate Tiger out of the wreckage.  He was conscious.

The crash occurred at an accident-prone gulley off Hawthorne Blvd. in Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles, CA.

It was downhill highway.

Tiger, running late for an appointment, wasn’t familiar with the terrain.

He raced off after awarding the winner’s trophy to Max Homa in the Genesis Open tournament at the Riviera Golf Club.

As tournament host, he was provided with a driver that he refused.  He loves driving as much as he loves cars.

“I’ve seen accidents like this before,” said Carlos Gonzalez, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy.  “Mr. Woods is very fortunate to have come out of this alive.”

The accident happened a day after the first-year anniversary of the chopper crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others.

Recent reports revealed it was pilot error that sent the chopper slamming the hills at the Calabasas area in LA.

Instead of turning back due to foggy weather, the pilot plodded on—not wanting to disappoint Kobe who was catching a basketball tournament where his daughter was a participant.

And so, unlike Kobe, Tiger was, indeed, lucky to have survived.

He suffered no life-threatening injuries, although his right left absorbed fractures that needed immediate surgery.

Also, his right ankle was shattered that, like his leg, needed pins and metals to stitch the tissues back together.

It is not yet known if he could golf again.

A golf great in another era, Ben Hogan, similarly suffered a car crash that almost killed him.

Hogan, seeing a truck set to smash the car he was driving, threw his body onto his wife.

He was given up for dead after the head-on collision—but his wife survived with mere scratches.

Miraculously, Hogan came back to win major events again.

Will Tiger do a Hogan?

One can never tell.

Aside from the leg and ankle injuries, Tiger has had nine surgeries—four on his knees and five on his back.

It might shock you to know that all those wounds were golf-inflicted.

So, who said golf is the safest sport ever?

The last fusion operation on his back happened only last December, almost a year after Tiger, then 43, won the 2019 Masters in a feat signaling a potential amazing comeback after an 11-year losing drought in the majors.

But then came this accident.

Seeing Tiger wide awake after the crash, Gonzalez said:  “I kept Mr. Woods calm.  I asked him what his name was.  He told me his name was Tiger. And, at that moment, I recognized him.”

Tiger Woods will be recognized forever—even if he won’t play competitive golf again.

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