Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods reportedly declined an invitation from NBC Sports to serve as a broadcaster for the 2021 U.S. Open next week.

Dan Hicks of NBC Sports told reporters Thursday that Woods turned down an offer from the network to help break down the action from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego:

He didn't want to do it, and I totally understand his situation. There is a lot going on in his world right now and there's also a part of Tiger that doesn't want to become this, I don't want to, for lack of a better word, a sideshow at an event where we should be concentrating on what's happening.

Woods is still recovering from a car crash in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on Feb. 23. He underwent surgery that same day to repair significant injuries to his right leg. 

Dr. Anish Mahajan, who performed the surgery, said in a statement that "open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia." Woods also had pins and screws inserted into his foot and ankle.

Golf Digest posted a photo of Woods walking with crutches to Instagram on May 24. 

"My physical therapy has been keeping me busy," Woods told Daniel Rapaport of Golf Digest. "I do my routines every day and am focused on my No. 1 goal right now: walking on my own. Taking it one step at a time."

This year's U.S. Open is being held at Torrey Pines for the first time since 2008. Woods won that tournament, despite playing with a torn ACL that later required surgery. 

The 2021 U.S. Open will begin on June 17. Bryson DeChambeau is the defending champion. 

Tiger Woods might be used to recovering from injuries, but his rehab after a single-car crash in February has been a tougher challenge for the golf superstar.

"This has been an entirely different animal," Woods told Daniel Rapoport of Golf Digest. "I understand more of the rehab processes because of my past injuries, but this was more painful than anything I have ever experienced."

The car crash in Southern California resulted in open fractures to both Woods' tibia and fibula bones in his right leg, requiring immediate surgery on his lower leg and ankle. A rod, screws and pins were inserted to stabilize the bones in Woods' leg and ankle.

Woods declined to comment on when he could return to golf, indicating it could be a long road to recovery.

"My physical therapy has been keeping me busy," he said. "I do my routines every day and am focused on my No. 1 goal right now: walking on my own. Taking it one step at a time."

Woods has provided limited updates on his recovery but posted a picture of himself standing on crutches in April.

The 45-year-old has already spent time rehabbing from five back surgeries and five knee surgeries over the course of his career. He will look to overcome this latest setback as well, but it's currently unknown if he will be able to regain full strength or mobility in his leg, per Rapoport.

Even if he doesn't return to playing any time soon, Woods can still be involved in the sport. United States Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker said the 15-time major champion will be available to help the team "in some shape or form."

Golf superstar Tiger Woods recently offered some advice to 10-year-old cancer patient Luna Perrone, who posted about the interaction:

"I got to have a quick chat with Tiger Woods this weekend when I bumped into him at the soccer fields!" Perrone wrote on Instagram. "He told me to “stay strong” which has always been my goal! Stay strong physically and mentally and inspire others to do the same! No matter what you are going through YOU GOT THIS!!!"

Perrone has a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma, which was discovered after she injured her hip during a soccer game. The native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, has been undergoing treatment for months and has gained recognition on social media thanks to her positive attitude.

She got her chance to meet Woods, who remains on crutches after suffering multiple leg injuries in a car crash in Southern California in February. He required a "long surgical procedure on his lower right leg and ankle" as a result of his injuries.

His latest update came in April when the 45-year-old posted a picture of himself in good spirits alongside his dog.

Tiger Woods called Phil Mickelson's PGA Championship victory "truly inspirational" following the conclusion of the tournament Sunday.

At 50, Mickelson became the oldest golfer to win a men's major championship. He held off Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka, who finished two shots behind the leader.

To some extent, Woods will know how Mickelson is feeling right now.

Because of repeated back trouble, Woods went on a long drought after winning the 2008 U.S. Open, and fans probably gave up hope of him getting title No. 15. Then he defied the odds at the 2019 Masters.

Mickelson had merely fallen victim to Father Time, making his PGA Tour Champions debut in 2020. But he provided at least one more magical run before his days as a tour regular are finished.

Woods' usage of the word "inspirational" may have been intentional given the questions about his golf career in the wake of his February car crash that left him with significant leg injuries.

Mickelson didn't have to overcome that kind of hardship, but Tiger is likely to use Sunday's result to help fuel his quest for major No. 16.

Steve Stricker has reached out to Tiger Woods about serving as a vice captain for the U.S. Ryder Cup team in September.

"I've talked to him; I don't know if we are there yet to commit to him being there," Stricker told reporters Wednesday. "He's still got a lot going on and his spirits are great, though, as of late. We were on a Zoom call with him just last week and he seems like he's in a better place. He's still got some ways to go."

The U.S. captain added that Woods is "really good at being an assistant" and that he'd "love" for the 15-time major champion to take part.

Woods is still recovering from his single-car crash in February. The 45-year-old subsequently underwent surgery for "comminuted open fractures" to his right tibia and fibula, among other injuries.

He shared a photo on Instagram in April to provide an update on his recovery. In the picture, he was standing with the help of crutches and had a large cast on his lower right leg.

The Ryder Cup is slated to tee off Sept. 24 at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin. Stricker has already named Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Davis Love III as three of his vice captains.

Furyk captained the U.S. in 2018 and named five vice captains: Love, Stricker, Johnson, David Duval and Matt Kuchar. Woods was originally named to the role but moved on to the playing squad as a captain's pick.

Going off Furyk's strategy, Stricker might be keeping two more vice-captaincy slots open for the fall.

Woods has competed in the Ryder Cup on eight occasions, compiling a 13-21-3 overall record. While one of the greatest in the sport's history, he has just one victory (1999) in the event.

Tiger Woods has shared his first photo of himself since his Feb. 23 car crash in Los Angeles.

The post on Instagram shows Woods standing on one of his golf courses on crutches next to his dog. In the caption, he said the "course is coming along faster than" he is in recovery:

Woods is continuing to rehab after undergoing surgery on his right leg to repair multiple injuries suffered in the crash.

Dr. Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said in a statement after the procedure that Woods suffered "comminuted open fractures to the upper and lower sections of his right leg, as well as significant trauma to his right ankle."

He also suffered trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of his leg that "required surgical release of the covering of the muscle to relieve pressure due to swelling."

After a three-week hospital stay, Woods was discharged and returned home March 16. He hasn't provided a timetable for his return to playing golf.

Woods' last appearance in a PGA Tour event was at the 2020 Masters in November.

Unable to congratulate Hideki Matsuyama in person, Tiger Woods saluted the effort of the 2021 Masters champion on social media.

Matsuyama held off Will Zalatoris by one shot to become the first Japanese golfer to win a men's major title. Woods remarked the result "will impact the entire golf world."

Woods was following the action at Augusta National Golf Club from afar. The 45-year-old suffered significant leg injuries in a single-car crash in California in February. He left the hospital in March to continue his recovery at home.

With any luck, Woods will at least be able to make the trip to Augusta for the annual Masters champions dinner in 2022.

Tiger Woods was unaware of where he was following his single-car crash in February, according to USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer.

Schrotenboer obtained the 22-page collision report detailing the crash.

In the report, Deputy Kyle Sullivan said he spoke with Woods at the hospital as he was being tended to by medical personnel. Woods apparently said "he did not remember being involved in a traffic collision" and "thought he was currently in the state of Florida."

The golf legend crashed on a stretch of roadway in Ranchos Palos Verdes, California.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Woods had been going 84 to 87 mph downhill in a 45 mph zone.

"The primary causal factor for this traffic collision was driving at a speed unsafe for the road conditions and the inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway," Villanueva told reporters.

Officer Justin Smith said in the collision report he didn't believe Woods to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. His pupils were "slightly sluggish," which a paramedic said may have been a result of the accident.

During Wednesday's news conference, Sheriff's Capt. James Powers said Woods told police he hadn't taken medication and didn't drink any alcohol prior to the crash.

"Those questions were asked and answered," Powers said.

The collision report listed "an empty pharmaceutical bottle" with no label among the pieces of evidence at the scene.

Schrotenboer reported the data in the black-box recorder of Woods' 2021 Genesis GV80 SUV showed he was "going in a straight line with no steering input detected until some slight steering movement registered late in the recorded crash sequence."

In February, Schrotenboer spoke to a former police detective, Jonathan Cherney, who speculated the 15-time major champion might have fallen asleep behind the wheel. The accident occurred at around 7 a.m. PT.

Upon reading the report, Cherney said it "supports that he was not conscious."

Villanueva indicated one day after the crash that police weren't considering any charges against Woods. Woods issued a statement Wednesday saying the L.A. County Sheriff's Department reached out to say "their investigation regarding my traffic accident ... has been completed and closed."

The 45-year-old suffered comminuted open fractures to his tibia and fibula, and he was released from the hospital in March to continue his recovery at home.

Tiger Woods has issued a statement thanking the firefighters and police officers who helped him after the Feb. 23 car crash that left him hospitalized with multiple leg injuries. 

In a post on Twitter, Woods said he is "so grateful" to the people who first discovered his vehicle and called the authorities, as well as the "LASD Deputies and LA Firefighter/Paramedics, especially LA Sheriff's Deputy Carlos Gonzalez and LAFD Engine Co. #106 Fire Paramedics Smith and Gimenez" for their efforts at the scene of the accident:

Dr. Anish Mahajan of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center said in a statement released on Feb. 24 that Woods needed surgery to repair "open fractures" in his lower right leg that were stabilized with a "combination of screws and pins" in his foot and ankle. 

L.A. County sheriff Alex Villanueva told reporters that Woods' vehicle was going 84-87 mph on a stretch of road with a 45 mph speed limit outside of Los Angeles before hitting a tree at 75 mph. 

Woods noted on Wednesday that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has completed its investigation into the accident and the case has been closed. 

"The primary causal factor for this traffic collision was driving at a speed unsafe for the road conditions and the inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway,'' Villanueva said. 

Woods announced on March 16 that he was released from the hospital and returned home to continue his rehab.