Tiger Woods will still have a huge impact on golf even if he doesn't play again,Rory McIlroy says.- Woods was seriously injured after rolling his car while driving in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
- "I think he'll still be a part of the game in some way," regardless of a return to the course, McIlroy said.
Rory McIlroy says that Tiger Woods will continue to have a huge impact on the world of golf, even if he is unable to return to the sport after the injuries he sustained in Tuesday's car crash in Los Angeles.
Woods crashed his car at just after 7 a.m. Tuesday, rolling over and suffering serious injuries to both his legs in the process. He was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center after the crash for surgery, with what doctors described as "significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity."
After it emerged that Woods' injuries were not life-threatening, some began speculating about whether Woods will be able to return to elite golf in the future.
Speaking to the media ahead of the Workday Championship at The Concession this weekend, four-time major winner McIlroy said that for now, that's not a conversation people should be having.
Everyone should try and focus, McIlroy said, on the fact that while seriously injured, Woods is still alive.
"At this stage I think everyone should just be grateful that he is here, that he is alive and that his kids haven't lost their dad.
"That's the most important thing. Golf is so far from the equation right now, it is not even on the map at this point.
Whether or not Woods is able to return, McIlroy continued, he will still likely have a huge influence on the sport, and his accident may force golf to reckon with the fact that he won't be around as a player forever.
"It's inevitable that one day he won't be a part of it, and that's going to be just something that the game of golf and the tour is going to have to deal with and adapt to.
"Obviously, we hope he comes back and is able to play, but if he's not, I think he'll still be a part of the game in some way, whether it's obviously his design business and his foundation and hosting golf tournaments.
"It may be the end of seeing the genius at work with a club in his hand, but there's still a lot of other ways that he can affect the game in a great way."
Why the crash occurred is yet to be determined, but Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a Wednesday news conference that Woods will not be charged with reckless driving.
"A reckless driving charge has a lot of elements to it. This is purely an accident," Villanueva said in an Instagram live stream.
"We don't contemplate any charges whatsoever in this crash," said Villanueva. "This remains an accident. An accident is not a crime. They do happen, unfortunately."