Golf: Tiger Woods suffers facial cuts in crash at Florida home
Posted: 28 November 2009 0514 hrs

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MIAMI: Golf superstar Tiger Woods suffered facial cuts and bruises when he crashed his 2009 Cadillac SUV outside his luxury Florida home in the early morning hours on Friday.

Woods was treated and released from hospital the same day, following the single-vehicle smash in which he hit a fire hydrant and then rammed into a nearby tree.

"Tiger Woods was in a minor car accident outside his home last night. He was admitted, treated and released today in good condition," the Florida Health Central Hospital said in a statement.

The golfer also issued the same statement on is website adding, "We appreciate very much everyone's thoughts and well wishes."

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) said the 33-year-old Woods crashed into the hydrant while leaving his property early Friday in the Windermere community, a suburb of Orlando.

The accident happened at around 2:25 am, police spokeswoman Kim Montes told AFP.

The FHP had said earlier Woods was transported to the hospital in "serious condition."

Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Mark Welch said the confusion may have stemmed from the initial police report. "Our criteria for serious injuries might be different from that of a hospital," Welch told AFP.

Police said Woods was outside of the vehicle with his wife next to him when they arrived. Woods was in a semi-conscious state, suffering from cuts to both his upper and lower lip.

His wife told police she heard the crash and then used a golf club to break a window of the SUV to help her husband.

Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn told CNN that Woods suffered "facial lacerations" in the accident.

"I believe he struck his head and his wife came out and pulled him out," Bruhn told CNN. "His wife was there and Mr. Woods was on the ground. I am not going to say in and out of consciousness, but he was dazed. He was bleeding from the mouth and nose."

No charges have been laid as police said they are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Bruhn said just because there is an ongoing probe doesn't mean there will be charges.

"I personally feel it was an accident," Bruhn told CNN. "I have read the police report and it says there was no alcohol involved. I think it was just a simple accident."

Superstar Woods, a 14-time major winner, had been set to play his last tournament of the year at the Chevron World Challenge at Thousand Oaks, California, December 3-6 - an event he hosts annually.

He was scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday in California.

According to Forbes business magazine, Woods is the first athlete to have broken through the billion dollars earnings mark.

At age 25, he became the first man to win the US Open, the British Open, the USPGA and the Masters on a roll to make him the first simultaneous holder of all four major championship titles at the same time.

Earlier this month, Woods landed the Australian Masters but had returned home for a fortnight's break prior to playing in the World Challenge next week.

This year he landed eight titles after eight months out of action recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee, but failed to win a major.

Woods is married to a former Swedish model and the couple have two children, Sam Alexis, born in 2007, and Charlie Axel, born earlier this year.

- AFP/yb