In this Sept 28, 2018 photo, US golfer Tiger Woods plays a tee shot during his fourball match on the first day of the 42nd Ryder Cup at Le Golf National Course at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, south-west of Paris. (ERIC FEFERBERG / AFP)

LOS ANGELES - Police on Wednesday sought to determine what caused Tiger Woods  to swerve off a Southern California road in his sport utility vehicle, colliding with a tree and rolling down a hillside in a crash that left the golf great seriously injured.

Woods, 45, was pried from the wreckage by rescue crews and rushed by ambulance from the scene of the Tuesday morning crash outside Los Angeles to nearby Harbor-UCLA Medical Center suffering what his agent described as “multiple leg injuries.”

A statement posted on Woods’ official Twitter account on Tuesday night said he had undergone a “long surgical procedure” to his lower right leg and ankle and was “awake, responsive and recovering in his hospital room.”

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the golf star, who was “lucid” following the accident, appeared to have been going faster than normal for a downhill, curving stretch of road known by locals to be hazardous

Compound fractures of his tibia and fibula - the two bones of his leg below the knee - were stabilized with a rod, and screws and pins were used to stabilize additional injuries to his foot and ankle, Dr Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer of Harbor-UCLA, said in the tweet.

Mahajan also said that trauma to the muscle and other soft tissue of the leg “required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling”.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies responding to the wreck found no immediate indication that Woods had been under the influence of alcohol or drugs before losing control of his vehicle shortly after 7 am.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva, however, said the golf star, who was “lucid” following the accident, appeared to have been going faster than normal for a downhill, curving stretch of road known by locals to be hazardous. Weather was not considered a factor.

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Video footage from the scene showed Woods’ dark gray 2021 Genesis sport utility vehicle badly crumpled and lying on its side near the bottom of the hillside, its windows smashed.

Sheriff’s deputy Carlos Gonzales, first on the scene, said Woods, still wearing his seatbelt, was “calm and lucid.” The deputy said he immediately recognized the golfing great after Woods told him his name was “Tiger.”

The vehicle driven by golfer Tiger Woods lies on its side in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on Feb 23, 2021, after a rollover accident. (PATRICK T FALLON / AFP)

Woods’ injuries were not life-threatening, the sheriff said, but sports commentators were already speculating that the crash could end the career of the greatest golfer of his generation.

Woods is the only modern professional to win all four major golf titles in succession, taking the US Open, British Open and PGA Championship in 2000 and the Masters title in 2001, a feat that became known as the ‘Tiger Slam’.

But he has suffered years of injuries and undergone multiple surgeries on both his back and knees.

Woods, one of the world’s most celebrated sports figures, was the sole occupant of the car when it crashed near the suburban communities of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, the sheriff’s department said.

The vehicle veered across the center divider of the road into an opposite traffic lane, striking a roadside curb, and a tree as it careened over an embankment, and “there were several rollovers” before the SUV came to rest, Villanueva said.

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Woods hosted the PGA tour’s Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club over the weekend but did not compete due to his back injuries. The wrecked sport utility vehicle bore the Genesis Invitational name on its doors.

He was seen at the Rolling Hills Country Club on Monday with actress Jada Pinkett Smith, retired basketball star Dwyane Wade and comedian David Spade.

Golf Digest reported Woods had been shooting a TV show segment in which he was giving on-course instruction to the three celebrities and was due to resume filming on Tuesday.

Woods held the top spot in golf’s world rankings for a record total of 683 weeks, winning 14 major championship titles from 1997 to 2008. His 15 major titles stand second only to the record 18 won by Jack Nicklaus.

Transformational talent

Woods’ success on the greens elevated him to worldwide fame, ushering in an era of multimillion-dollar endorsements and lucrative appearances. As the first African American to achieve major golf stardom, Woods also helped transform the sport itself, broadening its appeal far beyond golf’s traditional domain of white, male and middle-class enthusiasts.

He was also a major influence on a modern generation of golfers that included such pros as Australian former world No 1 Jason Day, who has said he read a book about Woods and sought to copy the American’s rigorous work ethic.

‘In our prayers’

News of Woods’ accident sent shock waves through the sports world.

“Praying for my brother @TigerWoods as we all anxiously await more news,” retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez said on Twitter. “Thinking of him and his entire family.”

“I am sick to my stomach,” fellow PGA Tour golfer Justin Thomas said during a news conference.

The PGA Tour issued a statement from Commissioner Jay Monahan. “We are awaiting further information when he comes out of surgery. ... Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers.”

California-born Eldrick “Tiger” Woods turned professional in 1996 and won his first US Tour title in only his fifth start. Since then, he has virtually redefined the game.

Woods held the top spot in professional golf’s world rankings for a record total of 683 weeks, winning 14 major championship titles from 1997 to 2008.

Tuesday’s accident was not Woods’ first auto-related mishap.

This AFP graphic shows facts about golf star Tiger Woods, who was involved in a car crash.

Woods crashed his car into a tree and fire hydrant in a bizarre, middle-of-night accident in 2009 at his luxury Florida home that led to revelations of extramarital affairs and ultimately his divorce from former model Elin Nordegren in August 2010.

In 2017, Woods blamed an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications for an early morning arrest near his Florida home when he was found asleep at the wheel of his car with the engine running in traffic and was charged with driving under the influence. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was placed on probation for a year.