Los Angeles (AFP)

Golf star Tiger Woods, 45, suffered "multiple leg injuries" on Tuesday morning requiring surgery after going off the road while driving alone in his car near Los Angeles.

"The vehicle was badly damaged" after it rolled over, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The champion had to be extricated from his car by firefighters using special equipment before being "transported to a hospital for his injuries", the severity of which had not been specified at midday.

In a statement, Tiger Woods' agent said the athlete "suffered from multiple leg injuries."

"He is currently in the operating room," said Mark Steinberg.

No other vehicle appears to be involved in the accident, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Services, which made the usual on-site findings.

“I think he was conscious,” and was talking to police, Sheriff spokesman Michael White told CBS television, adding that Tiger Woods' injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

According to a police source quoted by the Los Angeles Times, the golfer was driving at high speed and lost control of his SUV before crossing the central reservation.

The car is said to have rolled over several times when leaving the road.

"Due to the situation and the state in which we found the vehicle, he was not able to open the door and get out," a spokesperson for the fire department told the daily.

"We freed him, we helped him get out of the vehicle," he explained.

Images broadcast by local television showed the SUV on its side Tuesday morning, the hood appearing badly damaged and the airbags deployed, in the vegetation bordering a winding road between the communities of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, south of Los Angeles. .

Tiger Woods was in the California megalopolis due to a tournament he sponsored, the Genesis Invitational, which wrapped up last weekend.

- 15 Grand Slam titles -

Recently operated on the back, for the fifth time, he said on Sunday that he was not sure of playing the Masters in April.

The champion has won 82 American Golf Tour (PGA) tournaments in his career, tied with the legendary Sam Snead (1912-2002).

His almost unrivaled record includes 15 Grand Slam titles, three less than his mentor Jack Nicklaus.

Many golfers and athletes have sent him encouraging messages, such as former number one Justin Thomas or NBA star Magic Johnson.

Himself a golf enthusiast and owner of many courses, former President Donald Trump also sent his best wishes for recovery to Woods.

“Get well quickly, Tiger. You are a true champion,” he tweeted via an advisor.

Tiger Woods, Eldrick Woods for civil status, had largely dominated tournaments between 1996 and 2008, giving his sport a notoriety that exceeded the audience of its usual followers.

After a slump in his private life, including the revelation of many adulterous affairs, Woods had managed to return to the top before collapsing again, the victim of serious back problems.

He had once again fed the news item section by being arrested, asleep at the wheel of his car, under the influence of a cocktail of drugs and anti-depressants one evening in May 2017 in Florida.

He did not return to the greens until January 2018, after several failed attempts and four back operations, including arthrodesis, a painful fusion of vertebrae.

In April 2019, Tiger Woods had once again returned to success by winning the prestigious Augusta Masters after an unlikely comeback.

© 2021 AFP