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      Tiger Woods was conscious and talking after the crash, the authorities said.

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storyTiger Woods Live Updates and Video: Golfer Hospitalized After Car CrashTiger Woods was conscious and talking after the crash, the authorities said.Feb. 23, 2021, 3:10 p.m. ETFeb. 23, 2021, 3:10 p.m. ETNicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Bill Pennington and Tiger Woods was taken to a hospital on Tuesday after being injured in a car crash in Los Angeles County.CreditCredit…Allison Zaucha for The New York TimesTiger Woods sustained serious leg injuries on Tuesday after the luxury S.U.V. he was driving struck the median of a road in Los Angeles County, crossed over into the opposite lane of traffic and rolled over several times before coming to a stop in a grassy area several hundred feet from where he had been driving, the authorities said.Emergency workers rushed to the scene just after 7 a.m. Pacific time and took Woods, 45, to the closest trauma center, where the golfer’s manager said he had gone into surgery. The authorities said that Woods was in serious but stable condition at Harbor-U.C.L.A. Medical Center, and that his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. Daryl L. Osby, the chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said on CNN that Woods had “broken bones in both his legs.”Woods was conscious and able to speak to deputies when they arrived, giving them his name and appearing “lucid and calm,” said Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who was the first officer on the scene. Woods was not able to stand on his own because of his injuries, Deputy Gonzalez said.Woods was driving near the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes and was heading downhill along a road where people often drive over the 45 m.p.h. speed limit, Sheriff Alex Villanueva of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said at a news conference.Sheriff Villanueva said only that Woods appeared to be driving at a “greater speed than normal” and that he did not seem to be impaired by drugs or alcohol. He added that because Woods did not seem impaired, “there was no effort to draw blood, for example, at the hospital.”The sheriff said it was not yet clear what had caused the crash. No other vehicles were struck, and there were no skid marks at the scene, he said.Mark Steinberg, Woods’s longtime agent, said in a statement around noon that the golfer was “currently in surgery,” adding: “We thank you for your privacy and support.”Tiger Woods teeing off at last year’s Masters Tournament, in November.Credit…Doug Mills/The New York TimesDeputy Gonzalez said that when he arrived on the scene, Woods did not initially appear to be too worried about his injuries, which the officer said was common with crashes when people are in shock. He said that Woods was wearing his seatbelt and that the airbags on his S.U.V. deployed.“He told me his name was Tiger, and at that moment, I immediately recognized him,” Deputy Gonzalez said at the news conference.Woods was driving a Genesis S.U.V., which is made by Hyundai’s luxury division. Last weekend, he hosted a PGA Tour event at Riviera Country Club in Southern California, the Genesis Invitational, which is sponsored by the car division. Riviera is where he made his PGA Tour debut in 1992.Woods’s vehicle was traveling north on Hawthorne Boulevard at the intersection of Blackhorse Road when it crashed, striking a “Welcome to Rolling Hills Estates” sign and hitting a tree as it rolled over, Villanueva said.Video from local television stations showed Woods’s vehicle on its side in an open, grassy area, with its hood crumpled and its windshield broken.The Sheriff’s Department initially said Woods had been removed from the vehicle with hydraulic tools collectively known as “Jaws of Life,” but fire officials later said that the tools were not used. Osby, the fire chief, said rescuers had used an ax, among other tools, to get Woods out of the S.U.V.Tiger Woods, who sustained serious leg injuries after crashing his S.U.V. on Tuesday in Los Angeles County, was conscious when emergency workers arrived, the authorities said.CreditCredit…Allison Zaucha for The New York TimesChief Osby said that Woods had been placed on a seat with a backboard as a standard precaution after serious crashes, in case of possible spinal injuries.Woods has not played competitively since December, and he had his fifth back operation in January, a procedure called a microdiscectomy, to remove a pressurized disc fragment that was pinching a nerve. Interviewed on the broadcast of the Genesis Invitational, Woods said he had begun practicing again, and he appeared at ease, smiling and joking with CBS announcers about his progress from the surgery. But he offered no timetable for his return to competitive golf.He said only that he had hoped to resume playing by the Masters Tournament, which is held in the first full week of April.On Monday, at an event at the Rolling Hills Country Club near Los Angeles, pictures on social media showed Woods happily interacting with various celebrities, including the N.B.A. player Dwyane Wade. During the function, Woods gave golf tips and limited instruction but was not swinging a golf club.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Tributes Pour in for Tiger Woods Wishing Him a Speedy Recovery

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storyTiger Woods Live Updates and Video: Golfer Hospitalized After Car Crash‘We know how tough you are’: Tributes pour in for Woods.Feb. 23, 2021, 5:25 p.m. ETFeb. 23, 2021, 5:25 p.m. ETJohnny Diaz and Tiger Woods watching from the 18th hole at the Genesis Invitational tournament on Sunday in Southern California. Woods was the host of the event, but he could not play because of his recent back operation.Credit…Ryan Kang/Associated PressAs news spread that Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a crash on Tuesday in California, fans, fellow athletes, celebrities and politicians offered tributes and prayers for the golf superstar.The former New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez said he was “praying for my brother” and “thinking of him and his entire family.”Stephen Curry, a three-time N.B.A. champion, also said he was praying for Woods and his family. Lindsey Vonn, the Olympic gold medalist skier who had dated Woods, shared a similar message for the athlete. And the basketball legend Magic Johnson asked that people pray for Woods.Michael Phelps, the Olympic gold medalist swimmer, and Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight boxing champion, offered their sentiments as well.“Fight @tigerwoods like the champion you are for your kids and the world,” Tyson said on Twitter.The actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who called Woods the GOAT (greatest of all time), said she had been with him on Monday.“Don’t take not even a MOMENT for granted!” she said on Twitter. “I know you’re good because your Tiger within is a beast!!!”Fellow golfers recalled Woods’s strength and resilience.“We know how tough you are, we’ve seen it a hundred times,” the golfer Justin Rose said on Twitter.On ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” Justin Thomas, another professional golfer, said he was “sick to his stomach” after hearing about the crash of one of his closest friends. “Man, I just hope he’s all right,” he added.Jack Nicklaus, who won 18 major titles, said that he and his wife, Barbara, were “deeply concerned” about Woods and wished him a successful surgery and full recovery. Woods is second on the career list with 15 major victories.Former President Donald J. Trump, who awarded Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019, phoned in to Fox News on Tuesday night to pay tribute to Woods, whom he called “an incredible guy.”“He’s going to be back,” Mr. Trump said. “I have no doubt about, he’s going to be back.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Tiger Woods's Past Was Examined in Recent HBO Documentary

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storyTiger Woods Live Updates and Video: Golfer Hospitalized After Car CrashWoods’s complicated past was put under a microscope in a recent documentary.Feb. 23, 2021, 5:30 p.m. ETFeb. 23, 2021, 5:30 p.m. ETMargaret Lyons and [embedded content]Tiger Woods was the subject of a recent two-part documentary on HBO called “Tiger,” which chronicles the golfer’s intense relationship with his father and especially the ways the elder Woods shaped his son’s understanding of sex and masculinity. The documentary was based on a book, “Tiger Woods,” by Armen Keteyian and Jeff Benedict.“Tiger” depicts the relentless scrutiny focused on Woods, particularly though not exclusively from tabloid media, and the tensions of a celebrity culture that can be both wildly permissive and swiftly judgmental. A number of golfers, former caddies and friends participated in the documentary, but perhaps the most revealing sources were two women who were involved with Woods at very different times in his life: Dina Parr, who dated Woods in high school, and Rachel Uchitel, who had an affair with Woods in 2009.While archival footage of Woods features heavily, he declined to participate in the documentary, and his longtime agent, Mark Steinberg, released a statement blasting it. “Just like the book it is based off of, the upcoming HBO documentary is just another unauthorized and salacious outsider attempt to paint an incomplete portrait of one of the greatest athletes of all-time,” Steinberg said.The first part of the documentary, which was released in January and is streaming on HBO Max, was HBO’s most watched sports documentary in almost three years.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Residents Say Tiger Woods Crash Happened on Dangerous Stretch of Road

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storyTiger Woods Live Updates and Video: Golfer Hospitalized After Car CrashResidents say the crash happened on a dangerous stretch of road.Feb. 23, 2021, 6:14 p.m. ETFeb. 23, 2021, 6:14 p.m. ETThe authorities blocked off roads in the area near Tiger Woods’s crash.Credit…Allison Zaucha for The New York TimesRANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — The area where Tiger Woods was injured in a wreck on Tuesday is a perilous stretch of road for drivers in Southern California, with steep and winding terrain and a reputation for frequent accidents.“If you get distracted, you can start going fast,” said Farideh Sotoodeh, who has lived in the neighborhood for about 20 years and went near the crash site on Tuesday after she heard a helicopter flying overhead.Others had also gathered near yellow emergency tape. Ryan Alimento, 18, was studying at his parents’ home when he heard an aircraft above. A friend texted him about the crash.“Growing up in Southern California, you hear his name all the time,” Alimento, a student at the University of Southern California, said. “For me, being Asian-American, he was a role model. He has a complicated past, but watching him accomplish all the things he did, I thought maybe I can do big things too.”The speed limit on the street is 45 m.p.h.“It’s steep going up and coming down and you can’t see around the bend,” Alimento said, adding: “You see and hear about a lot of accidents.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Justin Thomas on Woods's Accident: ‘I’m Sick to my Stomach'

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storyTiger Woods Live Updates and Video: Golfer Hospitalized After Car Crash‘I’m sick to my stomach,’ Woods’s friend Justin Thomas said.Feb. 23, 2021, 4:22 p.m. ETFeb. 23, 2021, 4:22 p.m. ETJustin Thomas, left, and Tiger Woods during the first round of the PNC Championship golf tournament last year.Credit…Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated PressJustin Thomas, a trusted confidant of Tiger Woods who frequently joins Woods for pretournament practice rounds, appeared stunned by the news of Woods’s accident on Tuesday.“I’m sick to my stomach,” Thomas said as he prepared for the Workday Championship, a PGA Tour event in Central Florida set to begin Thursday. “It hurts to see one of your closest friends get in an accident.”Thomas said he had heard about Woods’s crash only minutes earlier.”I’m sick to my stomach.” Justin Thomas reacts to the news of Tiger Woods being injured after a single-car crash. pic.twitter.com/RMXKLfSi9N— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 23, 2021
      “Man, I just hope he’s all right,” he said. “I’m just worried for his kids, I’m sure they’re struggling.”Thomas and his father, Mike, were paired with Woods and his son, Charlie, during the PNC Championship, a father and son tournament in December. Woods also has a daughter, Sam.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      In Naming a New Chief Executive, the U.S.G.A. Looks to the Women’s Game

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyIn Naming a New Chief Executive, the U.S.G.A. Looks to the Women’s GameWith the L.P.G.A., Mike Whan grew women’s golf. Now he’ll try to solve some of the sport’s most contentious debates: outrageous distances off the tee and a return to more traditional sites.Mike Whan with the L.P.G.A. in 2015. He will take over the U.S.G.A. sometime this summer.Credit…Chris O’Meara/Associated PressFeb. 17, 2021, 11:02 a.m. ETIn an imaginative decision for one of the most resolutely traditional organizations in American sports, the United States Golf Association announced Wednesday that its new chief executive would be Mike Whan, who has spent the last 11 years as the resourceful commissioner of the L.P.G.A. Tour.Whan, 56, will replace Mike Davis, the top executive at the U.S.G.A., which conducts the United States Open and 13 other national championships. Five months ago, Davis, a 30-year U.S.G.A. employee, revealed that 2021 would be his last year with the organization. In January, in a surprise, Whan announced his intention to leave the L.P.G.A.In an interview Tuesday, Whan said he called Davis before accepting the U.S.G.A.’s offer.“I said, you know me and you know the job, is this a bad idea?” Whan recalled. “Mike said, ‘Stop talking, you need to get into this job.’”Whan added: “I can stay in the game I love. I can have a seat that can make a real difference.”Stu Francis, the U.S.G.A. president, said Tuesday that he had been thinking about Whan as a possible Davis successor since Whan made a presentation to the association’s executive committee four years ago. Noting that the U.S.G.A., a nonprofit with annual revenues of roughly $225 million, invests in myriad golf initiatives and helps writes golf’s rule book, Francis called running the U.S.G.A. “a multifaceted job.” Of Whan, Francis added: “He has all the skill sets and has demonstrated those skill sets.”Whan, who will assume his U.S.G.A. duties at an unspecified date this summer, took over a struggling L.P.G.A. in 2010 and guided it through financial challenges, eventually expanded the tour from 24 events to 34 and nearly doubled the prize money. During the pandemic, when many tournaments were not held, Whan was able to preserve event sponsors, and the purses for the 18 tournaments the L.P.G.A. did host were not reduced.As L.P.G.A. commissioner, Whan has spent years in regular contact with leaders of golf’s governing bodies, including the U.S.G.A., the PGA Tour and the R&A, the organization that conducts the British Open.But at least in America, Whan will soon be the point man for a variety of issues facing golf, the thorniest of which is whether the sport’s leaders should enact new rules to inhibit the prodigious distances off the tee that can be achieved by technologically advanced golf balls and clubs. A recent report sponsored by the U.S.G.A. and the R&A, a co-partner overseeing the rule book, hinted at potential changes in equipment restrictions.Asked about the report on Tuesday, Whan said: “There’s little argument that we’ve known distance is a problem for a long time.” He added, “I think change is coming and needs to — how grand that change is has yet to be determined.”But Whan, who worked for Wilson Sporting Goods and TaylorMade Golf before joining the L.P.G.A., said there would still be room for innovation in the vast golf equipment market.“I think all the people that hear about change think, ‘Oh, no, it’s over, they’re going to put a governor on and everybody’s going to have all the same distance,’” he said. “Nobody has any interest in doing that to either the game or the people that make the game exciting.”Whan will also be central to ascertaining which courses will be selected as U.S.G.A. championship sites, particularly when it comes to the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open. Some of the most controversial decisions in Davis’s tenure stemmed from a desire to branch out from an established, if unofficial, rotation of traditional sites for the association’s premier events. That led to the U.S. Open’s being played in largely untested venues like Chambers Bay in Washington State and Erin Hills in Wisconsin with, at best, mixed results.Lately, the U.S.G.A. has signaled its inclination to return to golf courses with a history of hosting the national golf championship, something endorsed by Francis and Whan.“You’re going to see much more of a locking in on traditional sites,” Francis said.Whan, who will be just the U.S.G.A.’s eighth chief executive, said players wanted the same thing. Cognizant that this year’s U.S. Women’s Open will be contested at the Olympic Club in San Francisco for the first time (it has hosted the U.S. Open five times), Whan said, “I can promise you right now there are players on the L.P.G.A. dreaming of Olympic.”Davis, who is leaving the U.S.G.A. to pursue his interest in golf course design, endorsed Whan’s selection.“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Mike Whan for many years, and I view him as a trusted, strategic leader who has a proven track record of building collaborative partnerships,” Davis said in a statement. “I know the U.S.G.A. will be in great hands, and I look forward to partnering with Mike to ensure a smooth and successful transition.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      P.G.A. Championship Lands in Oklahoma After Leaving Trump Property

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }Capitol Riot FalloutVisual TimelineInside the SiegeNotable ArrestsCapitol Police in CrisisThe Global Far RightAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyAfter Leaving Trump Property, P.G.A. Championship Lands in OklahomaThe major had been set to be played at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, N.J. in 2022, until the P.G.A. of America pulled out, saying that holding it there would be “detrimental” to its brand.The P.G.A. of America, which conducts the tournament, said Monday that it had awarded its 2022 championship to the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.Credit…Rob Carr/Associated PressJan. 25, 2021Updated 9:36 p.m. ETThe 2022 P.G.A. Championship, which was withdrawn from Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., days after a mob incited by the former president stormed the Capitol in a riot that resulted in the deaths of five people, has been awarded to the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.The P.G.A. of America, which conducts the tournament, one of the four major men’s golf championships worldwide, announced the new site for the event Monday in a brief statement. The tournament will be played next year from May 19 to 22.For many years, Donald Trump had publicly lobbied each of golf’s governing bodies to bestow one of the sport’s featured championships to one of his golf courses. The Bedminster club hosted the 2017 United States Women’s Open, and his club in Virginia was the site of the 2017 Senior P.G.A. Championship.The P.G.A. of America chose Trump Bedminster to host the 2022 championship in 2014, before Trump was a candidate for president. But on Jan. 10, the organization’s president, Jim Richerson, said in a video statement: “It has become clear that conducting the P.G.A. Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the P.G.A. of America brand, and would put at risk the P.G.A.’s ability to deliver our many programs, and sustain the longevity of our mission.”The next day, the chief executive of the R&A, the organization that conducts the British Open, said its flagship event would not return to Trump Turnberry, a golf course in Scotland owned by Trump, for “the foreseeable future.” Turnberry, purchased by Trump seven years ago, has hosted the British Open, the oldest of golf’s four men’s majors, four times, most recently in 2009. It previously hosted the Women’s Open in 2015.Robert Wood Johnson IV, the American ambassador to Britain during the Trump administration, told multiple colleagues in February 2018 that he had been asked to see if the British government could help Turnberry host the British Open again, according to three people with knowledge of the episode. The British government said Johnson made no request regarding the British Open and Trump denied asking Johnson to press such a move.While the resort was not scheduled to be the site of this year’s event, it was in consideration for the 2023 British Open.“We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances,” Martin Slumbers, the R&A chief executive, said.Southern Hills has been the setting for four previous P.G.A. Championships, the last in 2007 when Tiger Woods won the tournament. The course also hosted three U.S. Opens from 1958 to 2001. Moving the P.G.A. Championship to Oklahoma also locates a men’s major in a noncoastal setting. This year’s U.S. Open will be contested near San Diego while the 2021 P.G.A. Championship will be held on Kiawah Island along the South Carolina shoreline.“Excited to return to SHCC for the fifth time,” the P.G.A. of America wrote on its website Monday. “The course offers a tough-but-fair test for the strongest field in golf.”Southern Hills was designed in 1936 but underwent an $11 million restoration led by the noted golf-course architect Gil Hanse two years ago.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      For Elite Golfers, Money Talks

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Coronavirus OutbreakliveLatest UpdatesMaps and CasesU.S. Travel BanVaccine InformationTimelineAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyFor Elite Golfers, Money TalksSponsors have long paid players to compete in tournaments, but that money has become more important to get players to travel during the pandemic.High-profile players like Rory McIlroy, seen putting during round two of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in 2018, bring in fans and make sponsors happy, so their presence is important.Credit…Matthew Lewis/Getty ImagesJan. 20, 2021, 5:02 a.m. ETCraig Spence has no doubt that the shot he hit into the 18th green in the final round of the Australian Masters in 1999 was what granted him entry into the lucrative world of international golf, with its larger purses and equally attractive appearance fees.That shot set Spence up for a putt to beat Greg Norman, who at that point had twice won the British Open, and Spence did it in their home country at its most important tournament.“I hit the perfect shot, four feet behind the hole,” he said.When he made the putt, for a birdie and the win, invitations to play on the Asian and Japan tours, the PGA Tour and the European Tour came pouring in.Those were great, but it was the appearance fees from sponsors for top international players and up-and-coming ones like him that made a few of the long trips easier to make. Those fees eased the pressure on Spence to cover the costs of bringing his caddie, coach and family members to tournaments.“Now you’re teeing it up and playing for free,” said Spence, who now teaches golf in Western Australia. “You’re not going to lose anything if you don’t play well.”In 1999 Craig Spence won the  Australian Masters and moved into the echelon of elite golfers offered appearance fees.Credit…Jack Atley/Getty ImagesPaying players to fly to a professional golf tournament might seem unnecessary. But it’s an old practice used even in events where the winner receives millions of dollars and where an also-ran can make tens of thousands.And coming out of 2020, when professional golf events after March were largely closed to fans because of the pandemic, those fees have become more important this year and are an integral part of a tournament’s marketing budget.Without marquee players, fewer fans will watch at home, further worsening the return for sponsors. As one agent pointed out, if viewership numbers were down, sponsors would be even more concerned with their marketing spending than they were now.“Appearance fees do still exist at certain events for certain players,” said James Dunkley, manager for Lee Westwood and other players.The European Tour’s swing through the Middle East is known for using appearance fees to build top-notch fields. Those tournaments include the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which starts Thursday, followed by events in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, with prestige falling by the last two events.The reasons for paying fees are many. Without them, some top players won’t attend and the strength of the roster falls, which reduces the number of points available for the world golf rankings. That can further keep top players away. Sponsors, doling out millions of dollars, want to guarantee a strong field.Top players, who are mostly based in the United States, often want to avoid the travel and instead play in the early events on the PGA Tour, in Hawaii and California. They also have other commitments to schedule around.“Players typically commit to play 35 weeks, which leaves you 17 weeks a year off, or for holidays or sponsor obligations,” said Nick Biesecker, a longtime golf agent. “Time is your most valuable commodity. It has to be lucrative to carve out a week.”The Coronavirus Outbreak More