Mystery surrounds Woods' car crash

Police were preparing tonight to question world number one golfer Tiger Woods after a mysterious late-night car crash.

A string of questions remained unanswered including what caused him to drive into a fire hydrant and a tree outside his exclusive Florida home at 2.30am and why it took so long for him to respond to police.

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) ruled out the involvement of alcohol, but said the incident remained under investigation and charges were pending.

Sergeant Kim Montes said today: “The investigation is currently ongoing and no further information will be released until the completion of the traffic crash investigation.”

The 33-year-old star was taken to Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, Florida, where he was “admitted, treated and released in good condition”, a joint statement by his office and the hospital said.

It confirmed that Woods had been involved in a “minor car accident” in the early hours of Friday morning.

His agent, Mark Steinberg, told CNBC the golfer was “fine”.

Windermere Police Chief Daniel Saylor said Woods’ wife used a golf club to smash out the back window and helped to get the golfer out of the car following the crash.

Elin Nordegren told officers she was in the house when she heard the accident and came outside, he said.

Mr Saylor added that officers found Woods lying in the street with his wife hovering over him.

The golfer was in and out of consciousness when officers arrived, he said.

Gary Bruhn, the mayor of Windermere, Florida, told CNN Woods suffered facial cuts.

Mr Bruhn, whose police department responded to the incident, said he did not know the specifics of the incident but added that the fact that charges were pending was a routine part of any accident investigation.

“I think it’s nothing more than an accident but from that standpoint they’ve got to let everything run its full course and do the investigation to see what was involved,” he said.

“I’m told that could take a number of days to come to its conclusion.”

The PGA star was driving when he crashed outside his home in a gated waterfront community in Isleworth, Florida, the FHP said.

He pulled out of his driveway, struck a fire hydrant, and then drove into a tree at about 2.25am local time (7.25am Irish time) yesterday.

The FHP report read: “Driver had just pulled out of the driveway at his residence... As V1 began to drive on Deacon Circle, V1 struck a fire hydrant. The front of V1 then struck a tree. The driver was transported to Health Central Hospital. The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending.”

The officer used Woods’ full name, Eldrick Tiger Woods, and originally noted that his injuries were “serious”, alcohol was not a factor and that it was unknown whether Woods had been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that the airbags in the car did not deploy, which it said suggested the vehicle was travelling at less than 33mph.

Hundreds of fans posted messages on Woods’ website, telling him to get well soon and expressing their hopes for a speedy return to the golf course.

According to the website, Woods is due to start the campaign for his fifth Chevron World Challenge title on Tuesday.

Woods, the tournament’s host, won the event in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007 but missed last year’s tournament while recovering from knee surgery.

All proceeds from the tournament go to the Tiger Woods Foundation which helps young people to realise their dreams.

Speaking on Wednesday, he said: “It should be an exciting week for the fans and I’m looking forward to competing.”