Rory McIlroy revealed what could be excellent news about Tiger Woods, who is recovering from a single-car accident he was involved in last month. The 31-year-old golf pro recently appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and suggested that Woods could be heading home soon after spending two weeks in a hospital. There has been no official update from Woods’ team since Feb. 28.
“I’ve spoken to him a little bit,” McIlroy said, as reported by ESPN. “He’s doing better. “I think all the guys have reached out to him. Hopefully, if things go well over the next week or so, he might be able to get home and start recovery at home, which would be great for him. See his kids, see his family. But yeah, he’s doing better. And I think all of us are wishing him a speedy recovery at this point.”
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The accident happened in Los Angeles on Feb. 23. He was in L.A. for the Genesis Invitational, the tournament he hosts from Feb. 19-21. He remained in the area for two days due to obligations with one of his endorsers. He was reportedly on his way to an event where he would have been working with Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers.
As soon as the accident happened, Woods was rushed for Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and was then transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center later in the week. McIlroy said Woods contacted him before and after the Arnold Palmer Invitational’s final round, an event that Bryson DeChambeau won.
“He texted me some words of encouragement before the final round of Bay Hill on Sunday,” McIlroy said. “And things didn’t quite go to plan, and he was the first one to text me and be like, ‘What’s going on here?’ So even from the hospital bed, he’s still giving me some heat.”
McIlroy and Woods are close as they are virtually neighbors in South Florida. Over the years, McIlroy has likely gotten his share of Woods lessons as he has won four major championships in a 10-year span. McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship (2012, 2014) and also won the U.S. Open (2011) as well as The Open Championship (2014).