Tiger Woods 'responsive and recovering' after emergency surgery following car crash in Los Angeles

Tiger Woods is said to be “responsive” after requiring emergency surgery to treat open fractures suffered in a car crash in Los Angeles.

The 15-time Major winner was taken to hospital after his SUV was seen to have veered off the side of the road, where it finally ended up on its side. The American was removed from his vehicle by firefighters and paramedics and has since had an operation to repair his right leg.

The chief medical officer and interim CEO of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Dr Anish Mahajan, said he had sustained open fractures which were “comminuted”, meaning a break of a bone in more than one place. Woods required a pin to stabilise his right leg, with pins and screws needed to fix his ankle and foot.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the crash would have been “fatal”, had it not been for the interior condition of Woods’ car, which was fairly intact after the exterior had been severely damaged.

In a statement posted on his Twitter account (0530 UK time), Woods was said to be “currently awake, responsive, and recovering in his hospital room”.

Dr Mahajan, from the hospital, added that: "Mr Woods suffered significant orthopaedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by orthopaedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a level 1 trauma centre.

"Comminuted open fractures affecting the upper and lower of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilised by inserting a rod into the tibia. Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilised 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."

Sheriff Villanueva said the area Woods crashed his car is a hotspot for accidents, as it slopes downhill. An investigation is looking into what could have caused the crash.

Fellow golfers have sent their best wishes to Woods, with Justin Thomas saying he felt "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."

Record Major winner Jack Nicklaus sent his “heartfelt support and prayers at this difficult time. Please join us in wishing Tiger a successful surgery and all the best for a full recovery."

• DISCOVERY STATEMENT

Tiger has a long-term partnership with Discovery developing exclusive content for GOLFTV and Golf Digest. He was filming his latest series with us on Monday which will see him giving on-course instruction to a number of celebrities including Jada Pinkett Smith, Dwyane Wade and David Spade. He was due to continue filming with us on Tuesday. Everyone at Discovery and GOLFTV is saddened by the news and wishes Tiger a speedy recovery and our thoughts are with him, his family and his team at this time.