"Sheriff department's investigation into Tiger Woods crash scrutinized"

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USA Today’s Brent Schrotenboer continues to report on Tiger Woods’s crash in Rolling Hills Estates while in the area to shoot content for a GolfTV film.

Schrotenboer writes:

But the available evidence in the case indicates Woods was inattentive or asleep when his vehicle went straight into a median instead of staying with his lane as it curved right, multiple forensic experts told USA TODAY Sports. Woods also told deputies twice that he didn’t remember how the crash occurred and didn’t even remember driving after surviving the crash with broken bones in his right leg.

The story goes on to poke several holes in the Sheriff’s approach to the case and early declaration of an accident occurring due to issues with Hawthorne Boulevard.

Tiger Texts Bryson "Out of the blue" Before Bay Hill Final Round

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News on the status of Tiger Woods has been almost impossible to obtain. Ryder Cup Captain Steve Stricker, who shares an agent with Woods, said he had not “heard too much lately” and said it’s way too early to talk about an assistant captaincy role for Tiger, reports Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio.

News related to his accident continues to focus on the investigation, with the USA Today calling out the LA County Sheriff for not taking into account Woods’ past accidents and prescription drug issues.

So against that limited backdrop, it was a bit of a shock to hear that Woods was texting Bryson DeChambeau from his hospital bed.

After his Arnold Palmer Invitational win, DeChambeau shared this:

Q. Can you talk about, a little bit more about the text you got this morning from Tiger?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, it was obviously personal, I would say, for the most part, but pretty much to sum it up, he -- he texted me this morning out of the blue and I wasn't expecting anything. When I got that text, I'm like, wow, that's pretty amazing that he is thinking of me when he's in his tough times that he's going through right now. So I just texted him, I said, Keep moving forward, keep going forward. You're going to get through it. You're the hardest working person I've ever met and you'll persevere through this pretty much. One of the things that we talked about was, it's not about how many times you get kicked to the curb or knocked down. It's about how many times you can get back up and keep moving forward. And I think this red cardigan is not only for Mr. Palmer, but I would say it's a little bit for Tiger as well, knowing what place he's in right now.

"The moments before and after everything changed for Tiger Woods"

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As word of a “black box” subpoena from investigators surfaced in Tiger Woods’ single car accident, ESPN.com’s Bob Harig and Ramona Shelbourne have pieced together the days before and since in what is the most definitive account should you be up for reliving what could be a career-ending wreck.

Harig notes these questions remain.

According to doctors familiar with the back procedure Woods had, it is normal to be cleared to drive within several weeks of surgery if an individual's pain tolerance allows. Which meant it was up to Woods, and he likes to drive himself. He has almost always shown up for tournament rounds with his caddie Joe LaCava, or Steve Williams before that, or with friend Rob McNamara in the passenger seat. He has even been known to make the four-plus-hour drive from his home in Jupiter to the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, with people recognizing him along I-95 or at a gas station.

Woods had driven himself to Riviera on Saturday and Sunday. He'd driven himself to the set on Monday, filming various outtakes and scenes for Discovery-owned GolfTV. And he was familiar with the area from previous trips.

While locals who live near the crash site initially speculated Woods could have been surprised by the steepness of the grade going north on Hawthorne Boulevard, that does not appear to be the case.

The LA Times’ Meg James and Wendy Lee previous looked into the question of why he was driving at all for what was an extensive two-day shoot by Woods standards.

"Tiger Woods’ catastrophic crash in Los Angeles has cast a spotlight on a low-budget documentary series that featured golf’s biggest star"

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A devastating situation gets no better after reading Meg James and Wendy Lee’s L.A. Times piece detailing what Tiger Woods was headed to when crashing his car in Rolling Hills Estates. Day two of the shoot was to be with quarterbacks Drew Brees and Justin Herbert for a Discovery+/GolfTV/Golf Digest series that originally had grander ambitions. The finger pointing has already begun as to why the star was driving himself to the “set”.

TV giant Discovery typically provides transportation for stars of its productions, arranging professional drivers to deliver the talent to and from sets and location shoots, according to an executive close to the company who was not authorized to comment.

That was the arrangement for this week’s shoot in Rolling Hills Estates, people close to the production said.

It’s unclear why Woods did not opt to have a chauffeur take him to the film site, but Woods is known, in golf circles, to prefer to drive himself to events, often with caddie Joe LaCava in the passenger seat.

(It’s actually TGR’s Rob McNamara the last few years and who visited Woods yesterday at the hospital, contrary to a TMZ report it was LaCava).

Discovery pushed back:

“That’s not a question for Discovery — that’s a question for Tiger’s team,” said Fiona McLachlan, a London-based senior vice president for sports communications for Discovery. McLachlan declined further comment.

Tiger Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, did not respond to requests for comment.

There was also this:

Initially, the Woods project was envisioned as much larger scale, with stunts and a bigger budget, but over time the size and scope were modified. Discovery instead decided on a documentary, “fly-on-the-wall” type production with non-union crews to give it a more intimate feel, people familiar with the matter said.

Had it been a union project, a Teamsters driver could have chauffeured Tiger Woods and any other talent or crew to the film location, said Lindsay Dougherty, an organizer at the Teamsters Local 399, which represents drivers, casting directors and location managers.

This also becomes relevant should it turn out Woods was simply speeding because he was late for the “call time”.

The story also puts a dollar figure on Woods’ Discovery deal.

The series sprung from a four-year deal worth an estimated $35 million that Discovery struck with Woods in November 2018.

At the time, Discovery billed the arrangement as “a strategic partnership” between Discovery, the PGA Tour, GolfTV and Woods. The cable programming giant, which owns several international sports channels, said that it would “collaborate with Woods on a wide range of programming, content creation and storytelling opportunities that will offer fans an authentic and regular look into the life, mind and performance of the game’s ultimate icon.”

Director Peter Berg’s post after hearing of the accident news:

Monahan: "right now the entirety of our efforts needs to be around the support"

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With all of the declarations of relief and victory that Tiger Woods survived his crash, PGA Tour Jay Monahan struck a more appropriately concerned and emotional tone in his remarks.

From Steve DiMeglio’s report at The Concession.

“When Tiger wants to talk about golf, we’ll talk about golf, but I think right now the entirety of our efforts needs to be around the support,” Monahan continued. “When you’re going to overcome what he needs to overcome, I think the love of all of our players and everybody out here, it’s going to come forward in a big way and across the entire sporting world.

“I think he’ll feel that energy and I think that’s what we should all focus on. We’ll all be talking about (the PGA Tour without Woods) at some point down the road, but right now that’s not what we should be talking about.”

Roundup: Tiger Woods Seriously Injured In Rolling Hills Car Accident

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The LA Times story was reported on by Hayley Smith, Richard Winton, Faith E. Pinho, Sam Farmer and Christina Schoellkopf who report on how Tiger Woods was seriously injured and details concerns with the road where Woods was injured.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Woods was traveling at a “relatively greater speed than normal” descending down a hill, noting that the area “has a high frequency of accidents.” The sheriff said that there were no skid marks and no signs of braking and that the golfer’s vehicle hit the center divider, a curb and a tree in the rollover crash.

Villanueva said Tuesday there was no evidence Woods was impaired at the scene.

Woods was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center by ambulance, where he was in serious condition and being treated for his injuries, the Fire Department said. His injuries included a shattered ankle and two leg fractures, one of which was compound, according to a source familiar with his treatment.

That terrible news was confirmed around 10 pm Pacific Time by his doctor and company, TGR (embed above).

From Bob Harig’s ESPN.com report.

As part of a statement on Woods' official Twitter account, Dr. Anish Mahajan of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center updated the famed golfer's condition, saying in part that he had multiple "open fractures" to his lower right leg, had a rod placed in his tibia, and screws and pins inserted in his foot and ankle during an emergency surgery.

"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," said Mahajan, the chief medical officer and interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA. "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."

Woods was staying Palos Verdes as part of a two-day content shoot for Golf Digest and GolfTV. It is believed he was en route to Rolling Hills Country Club for the shoot, though TMZ reports he might have been late for a shoot at Riviera and appeared impatient at the hotel. That report appears inaccurate.

The officer first on the scene spoke of the experience:

Discovery, owners of Golf Digest and GolfTV, released this statement:

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The PGA TOUR Statement on Tiger Woods from Commissioner Jay Monahan:

We have been made aware of Tiger Woods' car accident today. We are awaiting further information when he comes out of surgery. On behalf of the PGA TOUR and our players, Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers.

A sampling of statements rounded up here by ESPN.com:

The mood soured at this week’s PGA Tour stop, reports Steve DiMeglio.

The Daily Mail’s story includes numerous images.

I penned this for the Quadrilateral on finding some comfort in Ben Hogan’s recovery.

Coverage was largely respectable except USA Today/Golfweek’s Nathan Bomey story detailing the car like a bad salesman trying to lure sponsored content.

Woods was seen at Riviera for last weekend’s Genesis Invitational arriving in the SUV.

Justin Thomas: "I'm...just worried for his kids"

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Even after learning of Tiger Woods’ serious car accident in Rolling Hills Estates, the PGA Tour went ahead with a pre-planned call featuring Justin Thomas.

Given how close he is to Tiger, it was admirable of Thomas to muster the mood to talk all things WGC and speak so movingly about his concern for Woods’ children.

Nine questions in he was finally asked about what should have been on the only topic in the minds of most press operations. And to see what was asked before and after shows why it might have been best not to have this session at all and just let Justin share his concern on social media.

But we have the Workday WGC at The Concession And Not In Mexico City to promote, promote, promote!

Q. How concerned are you that--if you were playing well when you had that success, how concerned are you with how you're playing at the moment?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I don't know if "concerned" is the right word. I obviously always want and wish to be playing better, but yeah, not exactly where I want to be with my game right now. But just like this game, you always work to try to get out of it when you're not doing your best. So just got to keep working on it and hope good things start happening.

Q. Justin, not the greatest question, but have you heard about Tiger and do you have any reaction to it?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I'm sick to my stomach. You know, it hurts to see one of your--now one of my closest friends get in an accident. Man, I just hope he's all right. Just worry for his kids, you know. I'm sure they're struggling.

Q. On a lighter note, you played the golf course today. One of the reasons that they call this course The Concussion was the greens. How are the greens and especially how are they as you chip up to them?

Oy. Vey. Gevalt.

The point missing here both on the PGA Tour and press side is just off the charts.

But again, tip of the cap to Justin Thomas for being a good sport in a trying circumstance.

"Not everything had been revealed. So I'm not sure how he could come out before there was full resolution to everything."

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As Thanksgiving arrives, Doug Ferguson files a comprehensive recap of the events that followed Tiger's November 27th car accident and includes fresh comments from Team Tiger.

There was one interesting quote from agent Mark Steinberg, defending the PR debacle in the accident's aftermath.

Read More

Orlando Sentinel: Keystone Kops Responded To Woods Residence Nov. 27th; Some Now Working For Tiger!

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You know when that Tiger Woods-hired and Augusta National Golf Club-approved security goon reportedly asked a Masters patron if she was "the stripper," few believed that any ex FBI or Secret Serviceman could be so stupid. Well, maybe the Tiger security detail isn't coming from such, uh, good stock if you read Henry Pierson Curtis and Susan Jacobson's lengthy Orlando Sentinel look at the vaunted Windermere PD, first responders (by choice!) to the Woods residence on November 27th.
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New Orlando Sentinel Report On Woods Accident Investigation Reveals Stonewalling, Other Bizarre Details

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The Orlando Sentinel continues to examine new public records in the Tiger Woods accident investigation, with several more revelations that speak to an investigation not bungled, but obstructed. Rene Stutzman reports that Elin Woods "tried to ride in the ambulance to the hospital with her husband, but the crew wouldn't let her, saying this was a case of domestic violence, the Florida Highway Patrol records show."

But the behavior of HealthCentral and state attorney Steve Foster raises the most-troubling questions:

Today's FHP records also reveal that the afternoon of the crash, FHP troopers tried to get medical records from the hospital, HealthCentral in Ocoee, that would have shown whether Woods had been drinking or was under the influence of drugs.

An emergency room nurse, however, said the records department was closed and troopers would have to come back the following Monday.

Troopers did, arriving about 7 a.m. Nov. 30, the first business day after the crash.

"The director of medical records at first stated their computer system was not working then she stated that they would not provide that information without a warrant on D-1 (Tiger Woods) regarding whether or not medical blood had been drawn," wrote FHP Cpl. Thomas DeWitt.

Two FHP captains then went to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office and asked it to subpoena Woods' medical records, but Assistant State Attorney Steve Foster said there was insufficient evidence.

The following day FHP declared its investigation over and wrote Woods the ticket.

The home security system video stuff is borderline comical. You leave it up to a defense attorney to check the tapes? And amazingly, he just couldn't get it to work!

Woods' home has four security cameras, and his lawyer, Mark NeJame, told troopers that he would provide them with video from the system, but after having problems trying to decipher it, apparently never did.

The day FHP made the request, NeJame said he tried but could not figure out how to operate the system. Five hours later, a woman from his office called troopers, saying they still couldn't figure it out but would call the next day.

The FHP paperwork makes no further mention of the video.

According to DeWitt, the trooper who wrote the report, two of the cameras should have captured at least portions of Woods' drive and crash.