IMHO Tiger had the accident because he probably got into distracted thinking, something that's happened to me a couple of times, but without equally disastrous consequences. I have experienced similar orthopedic injuries and can say he has along road to go before he'll even be able to walk properly. Prayers up, for a great guy.
I don’t see him playing professional golf again. One hopes he will be able to walk again. He could lose a leg. He could lose feeling in his leg & be disabled. His back could be permanently damaged with some paralysis. One hopes for the best, but cannot presume it will have a happy ending. I was wondering if somebody ran him off the road. Was that ruled out? There might have been a dog or coyote or deer in the road. One never knows & may not presume to know what happened. One wonders if Tiger will remember anything....
Hogan and Smith were 36, Tiger is 45 going on 50 with all his surgeries. 10 years is huge for an athlete. My guess, he’ll never play competitive golf again and will not win another PGA tournament.
I hope he heals and gets healthy and makes a triumphant return to a Masters Tourney or another major, he’ll deserve the fanfare.