On Feb. 23, the sports world was shaken by the news of a catastrophic crash involving golf star Tiger Woods.  Woods is now in stable condition at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, but he suffered multiple open fractures to his right leg, and had many emergency surgeries.  The crash occurred early that morning near the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes in California, just a few miles south of Los Angeles.  Woods’ car rolled over several times, hitting a curb and tree. Luckily, the beloved star’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

When many fans of Tiger heard the news, their thoughts quickly shifted to a past event. In May of 2017, he was arrested and jailed for the suspicion of DUI, and that October, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving.  This history led many to believe that Woods was driving under the influence when he crashed, but the initial reports from first responders say otherwise. Woods was fully awake and aware of his surroundings, leading police officers to believe he was not intoxicated.  The investigations are expected to continue for weeks, possibly even months, but three investigators have found new information, leading to the belief that fatigue was the cause.

This theory, which has yet to be determined the definite cause of the crash, is driven by one key piece of information.  Tiger Woods was driving his 2021 Genesis on a winding road en route to a filming location for GolfTV, where he was expected to meet NFL Quarterbacks Drew Brees and Justin Herbert.  When the crash occurred, Woods continued to drive straight on this curved road, traversing two lanes before hitting the curb. The fact that he continued straight, as opposed to veering off the road, led the three experts to hypothesize that the beloved golfer was nodding off behind the wheel.  However, he likely did attempt to slam on the brakes before crashing, evidenced by the injuries to right leg. Woods was clearly inattentive while driving that morning, which may be attributed to behind-the-wheel exhaustion when the case on his crash is closed.