Tiger Woods was on his way to meet New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert before he was involved in a car accident in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, according to Shelley Smith of ESPN. Woods was running late for a scheduled photoshoot with Brees and Herbert as well as a round of golf. Woods wouldn’t have played with Brees and Herbert as he’s recovering from back surgery.
“It was an Oprah Winfrey production and it’s scheduled to air in June,” Smith said. “So they were all there waiting for him. His call time was at 8. He’s always early, and there were like ‘Where is he?’ They couldn’t find him. He wasn’t answering his phone. The producers of the shoot were concerned because he’s never late, and they say it’s not like him. He should be here. They had to stall Drew Brees and Justin Herbert, who then went to the range and start hitting balls and they started playing because they didn’t know what else to do. Eventually, somebody got on Twitter and said there has been a horrible car crash that he was involved in. They ran inside and saw the pictures on TV.”
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Smith went on to say that “Oprah has been planning this shoot since last spring. They rescheduled it, and now he’s in the hospital.” Woods was transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where he underwent hours of surgery. When Woods came out of surgery, Anish Mahajan, the chief medical officer and interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center gave an update on his condition.
“Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia,” Mahajan said in a statement. “Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling.” The statement also said that Woods is “awake, responsive and recovering in his hospital room.
Woods, 45, was in the Los Angeles area for the Genesis Invitational, a PGA Tour event that he hosts at Riviera County Club in Pacific Palisades. On Monday, Woods film scenes for GolfTV and was seen hanging out with NBA star Dwyane Wade and actor David Spade.
