The 30-second video that retired Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade posted on Instagram Tuesday is full of happiness, but it is haunting for what would happen a mere 30 minutes later.
Smiling and jocular, Wade and Tiger Woods are on a golf course in Los Angeles. Wade asks maybe the greatest golfer of all time how good or bad his own game is.
Over Wade’s shoulder a grinning Woods, after a small pause, says, “Good?” — while playfully shaking his head no.
The two sports superstars, along with comedian David Spade, were in L.A. to record something for Discovery’s Golf TV channel. Woods hosted his annual Genesis Invitational tournament there this past weekend.
Wade was 15 when Woods changed golf with his historic victory at The Masters in 1997. “The reason I picked up a golf club,” Wade calls him.
Around 7 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, Woods’ 2021 Genesis GV80 would careen down an embankment, rolling several hundred feet downhill and flipping multiple times.
“It was very fortunate that Mr. Woods came out of this alive,” said Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who arrived at the scene.
It is the latest reminder that no amount of wealth or fame protects one from whatever cruelty fate has in mind.
It also writes the latest chapter in the star-crossed story of Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods, the ongoing tale of epic, towering triumph, scandal and descent, redemption and rise. Now this.
Let those words sink in.
“It was very fortunate that Mr. Woods came out of this alive,” said the deputy who has seen wrecks far less serious with no survivors.
We nearly lost Tiger Woods on Tuesday.
Thirteen months after a helicopter tragedy took the life of Kobe Bryant, the sports world nearly lost an icon of like stature, if not dare say even greater.
It was a one-car rollover crash. There reportedly were no initial signs of driver impairment.
Tiger was trapped in the vehicle. It took machinery to help extricate him through the windshield. A seat belt had almost certainly saved his life, but could not prevent serious trauma to his lower right leg and ankle.
In what was called a “long surgical procedure” at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center, the lower portions of his tibia and fibula bones were stabilized with the insertion of a rod into the tibia. His foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and and soft tissue required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve swelling.
Woods was said to be alert.
And so we have the great luxury today to be wondering what this terrible accident means for his golf future, instead of mourning and wondering about funeral arrangements.
Woods, 45, already had been sidelined by his latest back surgery and had not played since December. He already had ruled out playing in next month’s Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens.
He held out hope there was still some chance he might be ready for The Masters in April. No chance now. Safe to say his recovery will take many months. Whether he will ever return to the level needed to again compete for major wins, nobody can say.
Age, the chronic back issues, now the traumatic injuries to his right leg all point to his having no realistic chance anymore to add to his 15 career major wins and catch or surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18.
His Masters title in 2019 was his first major win since 2008. If he has another major in him at this age after these setbacks -- let alone another three or four more majors in him — it would be all-time remarkable to a degree even greater than what we have just seen from Tom Brady.
Through the infamy of his infidelity scandal and rehab, through all of the injuries and the erosion of his dominance, this man has remained the biggest, most important, most beloved figure in golf — arguably in all of sports. Because what he has meant has transcended sports.
He needn’t win another tournament. Today, it doesn’t even seem all that important whether he does or not.
Today, we’re just thankful Tiger Woods is alive.
