(Error Code: 102006) W hen pro golfer Rocco Mediate heard the news that Tiger Woods was involved in a single-vehicle car accident in South California on Tuesday morning—and then saw the horrific images of the damage—he grew nauseated. By some small miracle, the injuries weren’t life threatening.
A crane is used to lift a vehicle following a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2021. If any athlete could power through a painstaking recovery process and return to the course, it is Woods.
Back in 2008, Woods and Mediate squared off in a memorable U.S. Open 18-hole playoff at Torrey Pines in San Diego. The matchup, aired on ESPN and NBC, became the most-viewed golf event in cable TV history, and the highest-rated golf broadcast on network TV in 30 years.
The duel will forever link Woods, 45, and Mediate, 58, the affable golfing lifer who turned pro in 1985 and won six PGA tournaments—and no majors—during a career in which he struggled with back injuries. (Woods has won 82 tournaments, tied with Sam Snead for tops all-time).