Celebrity Health

Don't close the book on Tiger Woods' golf career just yet -- Dr. Oz STRONGLY believes Tiger can make a full recovery ... and could be back on the links in a year!

Woods suffered MAJOR damage to his right leg in the Feb. 23 car crash -- including comminuted open fractures (shattered bones that broke through the skin).

Dr. Oz compared the injury to NFL quarterback Alex Smith -- who also suffered a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula during a game in 2018.

Smith missed the 2019 season -- but returned to action in 2020 after multiple surgeries and serious rehab.

It's not an exact apples-to-apples comparison ... but it's close. And, Oz says Smith's case proves a shattered leg isn't career-ender anymore.

So, why is Dr. Oz so optimistic about Tiger's chances to recover, despite the fact he's 45 years old?

"He's had a bunch of surgeries and bounced back when no one thought he could," Oz says.

Plus, Tiger "had the luck of having his accident near a major trauma center with expertise in this area."

In other words, Tiger got top-level medical attention QUICKLY -- which bodes well for his chances of a full recovery.

"He still has the most important component to recovery which is mental resilience. This man can do what no one else can do. So with the strength of his mind and fortitude, I do think he'll be back and I think he'll come back to full speed."

Medically speaking, Oz says it'll be at least 6 months until Tiger's leg bones are "recovered to the original form" -- but he believes it will take around one year to build back the muscles in order to go out and golf again.

Garth Brooks' wife has tested positive for COVID-19 ... and even though he's tested negative, he's going into quarantine with her nevertheless.

According to Garth's rep ... the couple went into quarantine after a member of their team tested positive for COVID, and subsequent tests showed Garth's wife, Trisha Yearwood, tested positive as well, while he tested negative.

Garth said she's dealing with some symptoms but there's reason to remain optimistic. The singer said, "Officially, she's diagnosed as 'on her way out of the tunnel' now, though, which I'm extremely thankful for." He added, "Anyone who knows me knows my world begins and ends with Miss Yearwood, so she and I will ride through this together. And anyone who knows her knows she's a fighter and she's been doing everything right, so I know we'll walk out on the other side of this thing together."

When Canelo Alvarez isn't knocking people out, he's OBSESSED with golf -- especially Tiger Woods -- which is why he's pulling like crazy for Tiger to recover from his injuries.

"Very sad to hear what happened," Canelo tells TMZ Sports ... "I hope everything comes out okay."

Canelo says he's been following Tiger since Woods first won The Masters in 1997 -- despite the fact Canelo was only 7 years old at the time! Alvarez has been an avid golfer ever since.

"He's so good. He's the best," Canelo added ... "I hope that he has good health and one of my dreams is to play with him."

Of course, Canelo won't be on the links this week -- he's gearing up for a big fight Saturday night on DAZN against "The Turkish Wolf" Avni Yildirim at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Yildirim is 21-2 as a pro -- but he hasn't fought in 2 years and he's a huge underdog against Canelo. But, Alvarez says he's not taking his opponent lightly.

"I always train like I'm gonna fight the best," Canelo tells us ... "I don't care if people know him or not. I know that the guy he's coming for the win and I know and I train like always and I'm gonna do my best in the fight.'

Canelo says he's gunning for a knockout -- like always -- and also talks about possible upcoming opponents.

Tiger Woods might've been way more seriously injured had he been driving anything else, because the SUV was top of the line in terms of safety.

A lot of attention has been paid to what kind of car Tiger was in Tuesday when he rolled over in Rancho Palos Verdes, and though it was totaled ... the 2021 Genesis GV80 has all the bells and whistles of 21st-century road safety you'd want in a car retailing for $47k to $60k, depending on the model. It's a fair guess Tiger's was fully loaded.

The whip comes in all-wheel-drive ride by default ... so torque is sent to all four wheels instead of just 2, giving the driver more control on the road. That's assisted with a built-in Electronic Stability Control and Traction Control System.

Perhaps most important is what's featured inside ... namely 10 standard airbags, that essentially turn the car into a pillow in the event of an accident. There's also an extra airbag up front that sits in the center console, between driver and passenger.

From the looks of the aftermath, it sure looks like most of those airbags went off ... something that almost certainly lessened the damage to Tiger's body.

Granted, he's still dealing with a gruesome leg injury -- but it could've been so much worse.

Now, as crunched as the GV80 appeared yesterday ... you could argue the structure actually held up pretty well considering the impact. That's not a surprise once you know it uses high-strength steel for the roof, transmission tunnel, front chassis extensions and parts of the rear structure.

Tiger Woods continues to get support from all over the world -- including a beautiful sand art tribute in a bunker at the St. Andrews Links in Scotland.

Of course, St. Andrews is considered the oldest golf course in the world -- dating back to the 15th century.

Tiger has famously won the Open Championship at the Old Course at St. Andrews twice -- first in 2000 and again in 2005.

So, to pay tribute to the former champ ... Robert Lloyd, one of the staffers at St. Andrews, decided to bust out his tools and create a piece of art for Tiger.

The final piece included the famous TW logo and the words, "Thoughts & Prayers."

Lloyd -- an American living in Scotland -- tells TMZ Sports the project took him around an hour to complete.

He's never met Tiger personally, but says he's a big fan and hopes the golf legend can fully recover and compete again.

Woods was seriously injured in a Feb. 23 car crash -- and required emergency surgery to stabilize a badly broken right leg.

Tiger Woods suffered comminuted open fractures in his right leg -- meaning the bone was shattered in at least 2 places and broke through the skin -- so doctors used a rod to stabilize it, according to Tiger's medical team.

Dr. Anish Mahajan -- Chief Medical Officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center -- just issued a statement describing Tiger's injuries in detail ... and it sounds bad. Note, he only mentions injuries to ONE of Tiger's legs, not both.

"Mr. Woods suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by Orthopaedic trauma specialists," Mahajan says.

"Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia."

A comminuted fracture is when the bone breaks into several pieces, according to WebMD. And, the fact it's "open" means the bones broke through the skin.

Dr. Mahajan says Tiger also suffered serious injuries to his right ankle and foot -- which were stabilized "with a combination of screws and pins."

He continued, "Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling."

Tiger is currently "awake, responsive, and recovering in his hospital room," according to Tiger's PR team ... which also added a statement from his camp.

"Thank you to the wonderful doctors and hospital staff at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department, and the Fire Department. Your support and assistance has been outstanding."

Dwyane Wade is opening up about the time he spent with Tiger Woods just ONE DAY before the car accident -- explaining how they bonded while talking about their families.

D-Wade had connected with Tiger in L.A. on Monday to shoot some segments for Golf Digest where Tiger essentially served as an on-the-course golf instructor for Wade.

They even made a funny video playfully mocking Wade's skills on the links. Fun stuff.

But, less than 24 hours later, Woods wrecked his SUV and suffered horrible injuries to his leg -- and there's real concern he may never play golf again.

Wade appeared on "Inside the NBA" on Tuesday to discuss his day with Tiger -- and described him as a friendly, nice guy who was acting completely normal on the links.

"He taught me a few things," Wade said ... "Hopefully it will translate!"

"But to be out there with the G.O.A.T in my eyes in that sport and being able to talk to him about Sam and Charley [Tiger's kids] and his father ... It was a great day."

Wade continued, "I woke up to the news [after taking a nap on Tuesday]. Just like everybody out there, my thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones because we all were shaken and shook at that moment, not knowing what happened with Tiger."

TMZ Sports obtained the first video of Tiger driving Tuesday morning on Hawthorne Blvd, minutes before the crash.

This surveillance video shows 2 vehicles heading uphill -- Tiger's Genesis GV80 SUV is trailing behind a minivan at just past 7:05 AM PT. You can see the logo on the door for the Genesis Invitational golf tournament, for which Tiger was in town. He didn't appear to be driving exceptionally fast at this point.

Remember, cops say they got the call about Tiger's accident at 7:12 AM, and where this video was shot is roughly 5 miles south of where he wrecked. You can see there's a big curve in the road -- not unlike the spot where he crashed, except that was downhill where he'd likely be carrying more speed into the turns.

Oliver Konteh, a member of the crew working on the TV show "Grown-ish" recounted to us on video what the director said about Tiger nearly hitting his car just before 7 AM.

TMZ has learned ... Tiger was staying at a hotel where a major network television show was being shot. Production sources tell TMZ, when the director arrived just before 7 AM, Tiger was driving his SUV very fast as he was leaving the property and almost hit the director's car. The director was shaken enough to tell production staff about it after he parked.

A crew member who saw Tiger as he got in his SUV at the hotel tells TMZ, once Tiger got in his vehicle, there was a delay in driving off -- we're told his SUV was blocked by another car that was loading luggage -- and he appeared "agitated and impatient." The crew member says once the delay was over, Tiger "took off fast."

Tiger was scheduled to arrive at Rolling Hills CC at 7:30 AM PT for a shoot ... he was reportedly going to give Drew Brees lessons.

Deputy Carlos Gonzalez — the first person to arrive at the crash scene — says Tiger is lucky to be alive after such a horrific crash.

During a news conference moments ago, Deputy Gonzalez says it was obvious Tiger was badly injured — so he focused on keeping the golfer calm until paramedics arrived.

Tiger was unable to stand on his own due to the serious injuries suffered in the crash — and was put on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance.

Tiger was wearing a seatbelt during the crash — and officials believe it might have saved his life.

Deputy Gonzalez says Tiger was lucid and could speak at the crash scene — and did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva noted there was “no effort to draw blood at the hospital.”

Officials also say it was a quick-thinking neighbor who called 911 — which allowed responders to race to the scene and treat Tiger in a timely manner.

There’s more ... officials also noted the area where Tiger crashed is a “trouble spot” for traffic collisions — with Deputy Gonzalez noting there have been fatalities in that spot in the past

Contrary to the initial release sent out by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department ... a source with the fire department tells us the jaws of life were NOT used to free Tiger from the crash.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Woods was alert enough at the scene of the accident to ask first responders to have his manager pick up his stuff. We're told cops have not found anything illicit inside the vehicle.

A photo from the crash scene appears to show blood on the driver's side airbag.

Tiger's good friend, Donald Trump, has issued a statement about the crash ... saying, "Get well soon, Tiger. You are a true champion!"

Tiger and Trump go back years ... with Trump famously awarding Tiger the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019 to honor Tiger for winning the Masters.

TMZ has obtained the dispatch audio for Tiger's crash, and it sounds like they realized in real time that Tiger was trapped inside ... and were going to need backup STAT.

In the audio, you can hear EMS workers call for surrounding roads to be blocked off ... and discuss the severity of the crash.

Mark Steinberg, Tiger's agent, says he sustained multiple leg injuries and is currently in surgery.

An L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. source tells TMZ Sports they do not believe alcohol was involved but they did not say whether any other substance was possibly involved.

Tiger Woods was hospitalized following a bad single-car accident in L.A. County on Tuesday morning -- with officials requiring the jaws of life to free him from the vehicle.

"On February 23, 2021, at approximately 7:12 AM, LASD responded to a single vehicle roll-over traffic collision on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes," officials say.

"The vehicle was traveling northbound on Hawthorne Boulevard, at Blackhorse Road, when it crashed. The vehicle sustained major damage."

"The driver and sole occupant was identified as PGA golfer, Eldrick 'Tiger' Woods," officials confirmed.

"Mr. Woods was extricated from the wreck with the 'jaws of life' by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, then transported to a local hospital by ambulance for his injuries."

Unclear what caused the accident. Cops are investigating.

45-year-old Tiger was in the area for his annual Genesis Invitational golf tournament at the Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades.

Just this week, he took photos with stars like David Spade and Dwyane Wade -- and announced his recent back surgery could keep him out of the upcoming Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

It's not the first time Tiger Woods has been in a high-profile car accident -- he crashed his SUV in a 2009 incident at his home in Florida.

In 2017, he was arrested after cops found him passed out behind the wheel of his car. Tiger said he had taken prescription medication before driving, and didn't realize the effect the meds would have on him.

Justin Thomas -- one of the best golfers on the planet and Woods' good friend -- got emotional when commenting on the accident Tuesday ... saying he's praying for Tiger's kids and family.

None of the Rochester police officers suspended over the death of Daniel Prude will face criminal charges ... a grand jury just declined to hand up an indictment.

New York Attorney General Letitia James expressed disappointment in the decision, and slammed the system as a whole saying ... "Current laws on deadly force have created a system that utterly and abjectly failed Mr. Prude."

She claims her office presented the most comprehensive case it possibly could and added ... "I know that the Prude family, the Rochester community and communities across the country will rightfully be disappointed by this outcome."

As we reported, 7 Rochester cops were suspended in September after video was released of the 41-year-old Black man being detained on March 23, having a hood placed over his head, and then pressed down on the ground.

Prude was held there for 2 minutes until cops realized he was unconscious. He was taken to the hospital and placed on life support, but died a week later.

The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint" and noted "excited delirium" and PCP intoxication as contributing factors.

NY AG James says on that fateful March day, Prude "was in the throes of a mental health crisis and what he needed was compassion, care, and help from trained professionals. Tragically, he received none of those things."

She adds ... "The criminal justice system has frustrated efforts to hold law enforcement officers accountable for the unjustified killing of unarmed African Americans."

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren also expressed outrage, saying the grand jury decision is "hard for many of us to understand." She says the City needs to work on policy reform to "correct the inequities in the system."

Clive Davis -- the music mogul who molded the careers of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Kelly Clarkson and many others -- has been diagnosed with Bell's Palsy ... TMZ has confirmed.

According to his rep ... Clive is currently being treated with antibiotics and steroids but he is expected to make a full recovery within the next 6 weeks. Bell's palsy, which is muscle weakness that causes part of the face to droop, has so far not affected Clive's speech.

Clive, who is famous for his Grammy parties, had originally planned a pre-Grammy gala party over Zoom slated for next month ... but those plans will now move to later this spring, according to ShowBiz 411, which first reported the news about Clive's diagnosis.

For the young kids out there ... Clive Davis is a HUGE deal in the biz. On top of discovering Whitney, he also founded Bad Boy Records with Sean Combs.

THE KING IS BACK!!

NHL superstar Henrik Lundqvist has made his return to the ice ... less than 2 MONTHS after undergoing a serious open-heart surgery.

As we previously reported, the 38-year-old Washington Capitals goalie opted out of the upcoming NHL season last month ... citing an existing heart condition that would prevent him from playing.

Lundqvist underwent a 5-hour procedure -- an aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending aortic replacement -- and has been on the road to recovery ever since.

Now, the future Hall of Famer has resumed his position between the pipes ... and judging by the vid he posted Tuesday morning, the dude looks GREAT!!

"The best type of workday!" Lundqvist captioned the vid as he makes a quick save.

It's a huge step in the right direction for Lundqvist, who said Tuesday also marked the first time he was allowed to drive since the surgery.

NASCAR is clearly NOT playing around about its COVID safety rules ... it just dropped the hammer on Chip Ganassi for a violation, hitting the famed team owner with both a ban and a fine.

NASCAR officials say at a race at Daytona International Speedway last weekend, Ganassi brought "a non-essential individual that was restricted from the footprint" into the competition area.

Obviously, it's a huge no-no during the pandemic ... the org is trying like hell to limit any potential spread of the coronavirus, and unauthorized guests certainly compromise that.

So, to send a stern message, NASCAR slapped Ganassi with a one-race suspension as well as a $30,000 fine.

Ganassi will have the opportunity to appeal ... but, for now, he's barred from this weekend's races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Cristiano Ronaldo's pet cat is down to 8 lives ... it's currently recovering in Spain after being hit by a car.

The animal, Pepe, is a hairless Sphynx cat -- the beloved family pet who travels everywhere with the Ronaldos on private jets, fancy cars and stays in mansions all over the world. Pepe has been a part of the Ronaldo family for about 2 years.

But, Pepe was badly hurt recently -- after leaving the family residence in Turin, Italy and getting run over by a car.

"It was close to death and after a month and a half in intensive care at the vet’s, we’ve decided my sister Ivana should look after it," CR7's girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez told the Spanish magazine InStyle.

"Pepe’s now in Spain recovering ... now he's in the best hands."

Sphynx cats only have an average lifespan of 8 to 14 years ... and it sounds like the Ronaldos are doing everything they can to help little Pepe get to double digits.

Oklahoma wide receiver Spencer Jones, who played in every game for the Sooners this past season, nearly lost his eye in a violent altercation in a bar bathroom earlier this month.

The wild scrap was all caught on video ... and the footage is insane, showing Jones and another man getting in a fistfight on Valentine's weekend at Logies on the Corner in Norman, OK.

It's unclear what started the fight ... the video picks up with Jones and another person arguing with two men.

In the clip, you can hear Jones tell one of the men repeatedly, "Get the f*** out of here!" before he takes several punches to the face.

Jones is then thrown on the ground, punched some more, and ultimately put into a chokehold.

A separate fistfight, meanwhile, also broke out while Jones and the other man were wrestling on the ground.

The commotion was eventually broken up ... but Jones suffered serious damage in the melee -- with his attorney, Woodrow "Woody" Glass, telling OUDaily.com the Sooners' redshirt senior almost lost his eye.

Glass said Jones had to undergo a lengthy surgery to fix his issues ... adding doctors told Jones and his family afterward the football player was "extraordinarily lucky" to still have his eye.

As for what started the fight, Glass said Jones was simply trying to play peacemaker and ended up being the victim of an assault.

We've reached out to cops in Norman to see if a police investigation is underway, but so far, no word back yet.

Another year with no Sunday red or roars for Tiger Woods at The Masters???

It very well might happen ... 'cause Tiger says recent back surgery could keep him out of April's annual golf classic for the third time in the past six years.

Woods joined Jim Nantz on the CBS broadcast of the final round of the Genesis Open in L.A. on Sunday and revealed the tough news ... saying he's got a ways to go before he can commit to entering the big tourney's field.

"God, I hope so," 45-year-old Woods said when Nantz asked if Tiger would play in the event. "I got to get there first."

Woods had a procedure done to his back just a few weeks ago ... announcing he had docs cut him open to "remove a pressurized disc fragment that was pinching his nerve."

Most thought the surgery would be a minor one and Woods would be back on fairways with plenty of time for the start of the Masters on April 8 ... but Tiger clearly has some worry that might not happen.

Woods explained to Nantz he's still "stiff" ... and still needs further clearance from doctors before he goes full-go on tee boxes.

"A lot of it is based on my surgeons and my doctors and my therapists and making sure that I do it correctly," Tiger said. "This is the only back I got, so I don't have much more wiggle room left here."

Of course, Tiger missed the Masters in both 2016 and 2017 with back problems ... before returning to the event in 2018 and ultimately winning it in 2019.

COVID-19 has claimed an astonishing number of American lives -- surpassing half a million Sunday -- more than we lost on the battlefield in three combined wars.

Compare the numbers .... there were 291,000 American deaths in WWII. There were 47,434 American battle deaths during the Vietnam War. There were 33,739 American battle deaths in the Korean War.

Compare those numbers to COVID ... as of this post 502,000 Americans have died, and the numbers keep going up. Despite the vaccines, some doctors and scientists believe there could still be a new, devastating wave of deaths because of highly-transmissible variants.

The good news, of course -- the vaccines are going into arms at a rapid pace .... lately around 1.5 million per day. Still, we are nowhere close to vaccinating enough people to achieve herd immunity. Around 70% of Americans -- possibly even more -- must be vaccinated to achieve that goal.

As you know ... there's a lot of skepticism over the vaccine for various reasons. Some people think it was rushed, and others -- especially African-Americans who endured shocking abuse in the disgraceful Tuskegee experiment -- just don't trust it or the government when it comes to vaccines.

There has been a slew of stories about the vaccines, suggesting they may not be effective as variants arise ... and lots of people resistant to the vaccines seem to be saying, what's the point?

In any case, we've lost more than half a million Americans to COVID.