Tiger accident raises questions with both sports and investigative reporters

By Jeffrey Jolson

18th hole at Pebble Beach easier for Tiger than his driveway

ORLANDO, FL (Hollywood Today) 11/27/09 – Mysteries remain even after No. 1 world-ranked golfer Tiger Woods was released from the hospital after the single-driver, 2:25 a.m. accident this morning that was originally diagnosed as “serious injuries.”

His Cadillac SUV hit both a fire hydrant and then a tree, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Apparently he was coming out of his driveway, going under 30 MPH, so the airbags did not inflate and he received facial lacerations among other, undisclosed injuries. Yet his management company said he was released in “good condition” later in the day in a joint statement with the Health Central Hospital.

It all certainly raises an eyebrow – and some questions. Why was he traveling at that hour? Why did he not recognize a nearby fire hydrant that he presumably passes every day? Why did he also hit a tree on or right next to his driveway in a gated community, assumedly something we all know as well as, gee, our own driveway?  And why is the hospital and IMG management not commenting on facial lacerations?

Eldrick Tiger Woods is the most famous athlete in the world, any sport, as his game crosses borders more readily than football or basketball.  So why did the Florida Highway Patrol originally state “charges were pending” though “no alcohol was involved”?  The accident is still under investigation, so any charges could still be brought, according to the AP.

“His management company, IMG, typically circles the wagons and controls information. I’m not saying they are covering up anything, but that is their way,” said Adam Barr, a local TV reporter on the Tiger beat.  He added “We haven’t uncovered any facts about why Tiger was leaving his house after two in the morning.  This doesn’t happen in golf very often, so we don’t have much precedence.”

It certainly is, the hospital announcement was a joint release from  Orlando’s Health Central Hospital and IMG. Not something you would usually see from Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles or a big NY or Washington DC hospital who take care of VIPs all the time and, within patient’s privacy rights, release their own updates without the input from publicists or management companies.

Gary Bruhn, mayor of the adjacent community of Windermere, said police from that village were among the first on the accident scene and saw Woods with cuts on his face.

Woods’ $2.4 million home is part of the exclusive Isleworth subdivision near Orlando, a community set on an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and a chain of small lakes. The neighborhood, which is fortified with high brick walls and has its own security force, is home to CEOs and other sports stars such as the NBA’s Shaquille O’Neal.

.And what is what with the change from serious condition to good and with the hospital not even monitoring him for a night in case of concussion? Usually they do after a bad car accident, and the facial wound would have suggested a head injury.

Woods spokesman Glenn Greenspan said the golfer was treated at Health Central Hospital and released in good condition. The accident report classified Woods’ injuries as serious, but patrol spokeswoman Kim Montes said troopers consider the injuries serious if they require more than minor medical attention.

The 33-year-old Woods, who has won 82 times around the world and 14 majors, attended the Stanford-Cal football game last Saturday, where he tossed the coin at the start of the game and was inducted into Stanford’s sports Hall of Fame at halftime.

He also traveled to China and Australia earlier in the month, winning the Australian Masters on Nov. 15.

Woods was to host his own tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, this coming week at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif. One sports broadcaster thinks he will make it,. “He’s a tough guy, he’s invited 18 top golfers, and if it’s just facial lacerations and some soreness, he will be there. He won the U.S. Open basically on one leg.”

Though the doctors may soon have a say, as do Tiger and his handlers. This reporter knew a prize figure skater who would not compete if she had a pimple.

He won six times this year after missing eight months recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Even though he failed to win a major, Woods said he considered this a successful year because he did not know how his knee would respond.