Jay Monahan on Tiger Woods: ‘Only thing that really matters now is his well-being’
BRADENTON, Fla. – PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was on a Microsoft Teams call when he received a phone call with news about a serious car crash involving the circuit’s biggest star, Tiger Woods.
“I was shocked,” Monahan said Wednesday. “I had to sit down and ask the same question I had asked a second time because I wasn’t sure I completely heard what I was being told.”
Monahan quickly got in touch with Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, who relayed what they knew at the time: That Woods was involved in a single-car rollover accident in Los Angeles early Tuesday morning, and that the injuries that Woods had sustained, though serious, were non-life-threatening.
“For a lot of us there was a period where we didn’t know,” Monahan said. “You’re thinking a lot of different things, and some of them are pretty scary to think about.”
Through his official Twitter account Woods released a statement at 12:30 a.m. ET Wednesday detailing his surgical procedure, which included a shattered right leg and ankle that needed a rod, screws and pins to be stabilized. Woods is currently “awake, responsive and recovering” at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center outside Los Angeles.
When he heard about the extent of Woods’ injuries, Monahan said, “I said a couple prayers, and I knew it was a different day, and this day is all going to be about being thankful and grateful that Tiger’s going to be OK. That’s a lot of progress in a short amount of time based on where we all were when we first heard it.”
Monahan: Moments like this hit at your soul
Monahan was on-site Wednesday at the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession, where he was meeting with players and tournament officials.
Monahan became emotional when talking about Woods’ impact over the past 25 years. Given Woods’ age (45) and the severity of his latest injuries, Monahan was asked whether it was too soon to contemplate what life might be like on Tour without Woods.
“The only thing that really matters now is his well-being, his recovery, his family, the level of support that we provide to him,” Monahan said. “When Tiger wants to talk about golf, we’ll talk about golf, but I think right now the entirety of our efforts needs to be around the support.”