Tiger Woods’ future in competitive golf has been thrust into considerable doubt, but at least the former world No 1 has begun what appears set to be a long recovery from a serious car accident on Tuesday.
Woods, 45, suffered “sufficient orthopaedic injuries” to his right leg when his SUV crashed outside Los Angeles on Tuesday morning local time. The American had to be "extricated from the wreck" by firefighters and paramedics before being taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre.
A statement posted on Woods’ official Twitter account early on Wednesday said he had undergone a "long surgical procedure" to his lower right leg and ankle and was "awake, responsive and recovering in his hospital room".
In the same tweet, the chief medical officer of Harbor-UCLA, Dr Anish Mahajan, said that compound fractures of Woods’ tibia and fibula – the two bones below the knee – were stabilised with a rod, and screws and pins were used to stabilise additional injuries to his foot and ankle.
Maharani said also that trauma to the muscle and other soft tissue of the leg "required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling".
Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies responding to the wreck found no immediate indication Woods was under the influence of alcohol or drugs before losing control of his vehicle. He was reported to have been “calm and lucid” despite being trapped inside the SUV.
“The nature of his vehicle, the fact that he was wearing his seatbelt, I would say it greatly increased the likelihood it saved his life,” said Carlos Gonzalez, the first LA county deputy to respond to the scene. “I’ve been doing this for a while and I’ve seen fatal traffic collisions, so I will say it’s very fortunate that Mr Woods was able to come out of this alive.”
Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles county sheriff, said Woods' vehicle was “going at a relatively greater speed than normal”, although, when asked if the golf star was under the influence at the time of the crash, he replied that there was “no evidence of impairment at this point in time”. Villanuevadescribed that stretch of roadway as "one of our trouble spots”.
Woods, who has not played competitively since November’s Masters, hosted the PGA Tour's Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club at the weekend. Golf Digest reported he had been shooting a TV programme on Monday at the Rolling Hills Country Club and was due to resume filming the following day.
Former US president Barack Obama, boxing great Mike Tyson, 23-time tennis Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and basketball star Stephen Curry were among the many who soon posted messages of support on social media.
"Sending my prayers to @TigerWoods and his family tonight - here's to a speedy recovery for the GOAT of golf,” President Obama wrote. “If we've learned anything over the years, it's to never count Tiger out."
Actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who was one of the celebrities filming with Woods at Rolling Hills, posted: "Prayers up for the GOAT @TigerWoods who was in an accident this morning. Was just with him yesterday. Don't take not even a MOMENT for granted! I know you're good because your Tiger within is a beast!!!"
One of sports most prominent athletes, Woods is a 15-time major champion, with his most recent marking a remarkable personal comeback at the 2019 Masters. His major haul is second only to Jack Nicklaus, who won 18.
Nicklaus tweeted: "[Wife] Barbara and I just heard about Tiger's accident, and like everyone else, we are deeply concerned. We want to offer him our heartfelt support and prayers at this difficult time. Please join us in wishing Tiger a successful surgery and all the best for a full recovery."
Speaking on Tuesday afternoon at the WGC-Workday Championship, world No 3 and close friend Justin Thomas said: “I’m sick to my stomach. It hurts to see one of your closest friends get in an accident. I just hope he’s all right. Just worry for his kids. I’m sure they’re struggling.”
Woods has two children: daughter Sam, 13, and son Charlie, 12. The five-time Masters champion, who held the top spot in golf's world rankings for a record total of 683 weeks, was involved in another car accident in 2009, when he hit a fire hydrant and then crashed into a tree in Florida.
The incident led to revelations Woods had been unfaithful to his then wife, Elin Nordegren, which prompted the golfing superstar to lose numerous major sponsors. He took an extended break from the sport to address issues in his private life.
In May 2017, Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Florida after he was found passed out in his car. He later pled guilty to reckless driving, saying his condition was caused by prescribed medications.
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Woods' highs and lows
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Price: From Dh79,600
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