Tiger Woods Has an Accident the Morning After Thanksgiving

By now most of the world knows that Tiger Woods had an automobile accident at 2:30 AM Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Must be he was in a hurry to get to the Black Friday sales. Like most people, I am curious about the juicy details. It won't be long before the tabloids give us their versions of those details. Will we ever know the truth? Does it really matter?

As of Saturday's November 28 edition of The Tampa Tribune, all we know is that Tiger backed out of his driveway into a fire hydrant and then into a neighbor's tree. Thankfully he was alone in his Cadillac SUV and was not seriously injured. His wife, Elin, called 911 and pulled Tiger out of the car after smashing the window with a golf club. Tiger was taken to the hospital with facial lacerations, treated and released in good condition. That is good news for the world of golf and that's about all the news that we're receiving now.

On the one hand I have sympathy for Tiger and his family. If anyone in my family were in an accident like that no one would know or care. Of course family and friends would be concerned but not even the local Pennysaver would report the incident. In Tiger's case, however, it is earth shattering news; but that is the price of fame. For now the local authorities are protecting his privacy saying that there was no indication of alcohol being involved; nor was there any indication of a domestic squabble.

On the other hand I want to know the colorful details. I am a fan of golf in general and Tiger in particular. He is one of the most disciplined and focused athletes alive. To learn that Tiger is human after all is a comforting thought. Did he have one too many? Good for him; most of us have done that. Did he and his wife have an argument? Imagine that, my husband and I have had a couple in our 42 years of marriage. Did he lose his temper? Well if he did at least he took it out on the car and not his wife. I've seen him throw a club or two on the golf course.

For now it's wait and see what the media will be able to discover. Although I doubt we'll ever know what really happened before the accident I hope we learn the truth. Will knowing that Tiger had one too many or had an argument with his wife and left in anger change my opinion of him? It certainly will not. I will still admire him for the exceptional and hard working golfer that he is. I will just know that he is human like the rest of us.

Source: "Mystery shrouds Woods' crash," by Doug Ferguson, The Tampa Tribune, Saturday November 28, 2009.