Tiger Woods Swarmed With Support After Revealing First Photo Since Crash

On Friday, Tiger Woods posted his first photo since his devastating car crash back in February, and fans were overjoyed to see him. The picture showed Woods standing on crutches in his own backyard, with a dog sitting by his side. The golfer smiled in spite of the long road to recovery ahead of him.

“My course is coming along faster than I am,” Woods joked, referencing the private golf course under construction behind him. “But it’s nice to have a faithful rehab partner, man’s best friend.” Woods has been resting at his home in Florida ever since his car crash in Palos Verdes, California, on Feb. 23. He suffered serious leg injuries and needed multiple surgeries to recover. Even now, it’s not clear if his mobility will be back to what it once was.

Many fans are still holding out hope that Woods will make a full recovery and return to competitive golf before long, though others are more critical of the 45-year-old. According to a report by NBC News, Woods was driving almost twice the speed limit — 84 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone — at the time of his crash. He hit a tree that sent the whole SUV flying into the air.

Woods reportedly told police that he did not remember the crash nor even the drive beforehand, yet they did not seek a search warrant to test his blood for drugs or alcohol. Therefore, many fans are wondering if Woods was impaired at the time of the crash, since he has had problems with prescription drug abuse in the past. That suspicion has never been confirmed, but it permeates the conversation around Woods’ new picture. Scroll down for a look at how fans are handling Woods’ return to social media.

Comeback

A fierce, vocal contingent of Woods’ fans hopped into comment sections everywhere proclaiming his recovery will bring him all the way back to competetive status.

Bad Role Model

Many people condemned Woods and the media outlets that have been giving him favorable coverage. They thought that he still deserved some more consequences for his reckless driving.

Defenders

Others were furious to see so many people condemning Woods after such a close call for his health and safety. Many arguments broke out in comment sections around the internet.

Stop Driving

Some want Woods to promise not to drive his own car any more given the circumstances of his crash. They feel this is the least he can promise.

Muscle Imbalance

Some fans feared that this picture showed a growing muscle imbalance between Woods’ upper and lower bodies. Many thought this would make it all the harder for him to compete seriously again.

‘Real Help’

While Woods is recovering physically, many wondered about his mental and emotional recovery, especially as they speculated about his intoxication during the crash.

Dog

Finally, many fans attributed Woods’ recover so far to the healing properties of dogs, sometimes citing their own experiences.