Tiger Woods injured as his SUV rolls over in California

Both of Woods' legs were severely injured, county Fire Chief Daryl Osby said.

Villanueva said Woods was traveling at a "relatively greater speed than normal" descending down a hill, in an area with "a high frequency of accidents". The sheriff said Woods' vehicle struck the center divider, a curb and a tree.

Villanueva said there was "no evidence" at the scene that Woods was impaired. He was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center by ambulance, where he was in serious condition, the Fire Department said.

Video images showed the SUV resting on its side, well off the roadway, its front end badly damaged and surrounded by debris.

The crash occurred on a curvy stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard, a major road that cuts through the Palos Verdes Peninsula, where signs warn trucks to use lower gears when traveling downhill, the Times reported.

"It's easy to pick up speed," said Barbara Ferraro, a councilwoman in Rancho Palos Verdes. "Even if you're not speeding, unless you're actually putting on the brakes, you'll pick up speed."

Lauren Swing, a Rancho Palos Verdes resident, told the Times, "There's accidents all the time. ... I think it's almost a dangerous stretch of road, and I always stay on the right side because I'm just afraid of people wanting to go fast," she said.

Woods was in the Los Angeles area over the weekend as the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, in Pacific Palisades, where he presented the trophy. The SUV that Woods was driving Tuesday had tournament logos on the side door, indicating it was a courtesy car for players at the Genesis Invitational.

Woods was to spend Monday and Tuesday filming with Discovery-owned GolfTV, with which he has an endorsement contract.

This is the third time that Woods has been involved in a car incident. In 2009, after Thanksgiving, the SUV he was driving ran over a fire hydrant and hit a tree. In May 2017, Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of a car parked on the side of the road. He was arrested on a driving-under-the-influence charge and said later it was a reaction to prescription medicine for back pain.

Woods was seen at the Rolling Hills Country Club on Monday with actress Jada Pinkett Smith, former basketball star Dwyane Wade and comedian David Spade. According to Golf Digest, also owned by Discovery, the TV shoot was for golfing lessons to celebrities.

"Prayers up for the GOAT (greatest of all time) @TigerWoods who was in an accident this morning," Pinkett Smith tweeted. "Was just with him yesterday. Don't take not even a MOMENT for granted!"

Woods, who underwent his fifth back surgery in December, last played on Dec 20 in the PNC Championship with his 11-year-old son, Charlie.