ORLANDO — Champion golfer Tiger Woods was injured in a car accident early Friday when his car struck a tree near his mansion in a gated waterfront community, authorities said.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 33-year-old PGA star hit the hydrant and a tree after pulling out of his driveway in his 2009 Cadillac sports utility vehicle.
The patrol reported Woods' injuries as serious, though Woods spokesman Glenn Greenspan said the golfer was treated at a hospital and released in good condition.
The patrol said alcohol was not involved, though the accident remains under investigation and charges could be filed. No one else was in the car, patrol spokeswoman Kim Montes said.
Woods' $2.4 million home is part of the exclusive Isleworth subdivision near Orlando, a community set on an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and a chain of small lakes. The neighborhood, which is fortified with high brick walls and has its own security force, is home to CEOs and other sports stars such as the NBA basketball player Shaquille O'Neal.
The accident happened at 2:25 a.m. (0725 GMT), though the FHP did not release the accident report until nearly 12 hours later.
Gary Bruhn, mayor of the adjacent community of Windermere, said police from that village were among the first on the accident scene and saw Woods with cuts on his face. Montes said troopers consider the injuries serious if they require more than minor medical attention.
Woods, who has won 82 times around the world and 14 majors, attended the Stanford-Cal football game, where he tossed the coin at the start of the game and was inducted into Stanford's sports Hall of Fame at halftime.
He had traveled to China and Australia earlier in the month, winning the Australian Masters on Nov. 15.
Woods was to host his tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, on Monday at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California.
He won six times this year after missing eight months recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Even though he failed to win a major, Woods said he considered this a successful year because he did not know how his knee would respond.
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Doug Ferguson reported from Jacksonville, Florida. Associated Press writers Tamara Lush and Lisa Orkin Emmanuel in Miami contributed to this report.
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