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Tiger Woods and caddie Steve Williams in the wet - Source: Reuters -
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Florida troopers who sought to interview golf great Tiger Woods
at his home on Sunday about how his SUV struck a fire hydrant and a
neighbour's tree were told by his agent to come back the following
day.
"The Florida Highway Patrol has received information that Tiger
Woods and his wife were not available to be interviewed ... as we
had previously scheduled," Kim Montes, a sergeant with the FHP's
Orlando division, said in a statement.
Woods, 33, the greatest golfer of his generation and one of the
world's most recognisable figures, hit a fire hydrant and tree as
he pulled his Cadillac Escalade out of the driveway of his house at
around 2:25 am on Saturday morning, the highway patrol
said.
He was treated at a nearby hospital with what police described as
"serious injuries," but the golfer's management team said the
accident was minor and Woods had been released from the hospital in
good condition after being treated.
"The investigation is currently ongoing and no further information
will be released until the completion of the traffic crash
investigation," Kim Montes, a sergeant with the highway patrol's
Orlando division, told Reuters on Sunday.
More than two dozen media and nine television trucks were camped
outside the guarded gates of the exclusive Isleworth community when
the highway patrol entered.
When police arrived at Woods' home shortly after the accident, the
golfer was bleeding from the mouth and was "in and out of it for
several minutes," Windermere Police Chief Daniel Saylor told CNN on
Friday.
He "was on the ground, semi-unconscious and had lacerations to the
upper and lower lips," Saylor said, adding that Woods' wife, Elin
Nordegren, used a golf club to smash a window of his SUV to get him
out.
Smashed window
Nordegren "explained to my officers that the doors were locked and
she could not gain entry" into the crashed vehicle, so she "used a
golf club" to smash a window, he said.
Woods, who has two young children with Nordegren, was the only
passenger in the vehicle, Saylor said.
The accident was not alcohol-related, the FHP said. "The crash
remains under investigation and charges are pending," it
said.
Woods' office, in a statement published on his website, said: "He
was admitted, treated and released today in good condition. We
appreciate very much everyone's thoughts and well
wishes."
Woods is scheduled to host his annual Chevron World Challenge
tournament in Thousand Oaks, California, next week. It starts on
Thursday and Woods is expected to hold a news conference on
Tuesday.
Woods is perhaps the world's richest athlete and the biggest draw
on the PGA tour as he chases Jack Nicklaus' record for victories in
major tournaments and the unofficial title of best golfer ever. He
has won 71 times on the PGA tour in a glittering career that
includes 14 major wins.
He made a triumphant return to professional golf in February after
missing much of last season following reconstructive knee surgery,
and finished on top of the FedEx Cup standings for the season.
