Genesis GV80 credited with saving Tiger's life

A Escalade helped upend golf champion Tiger Woods' life after he crashed it into a fire hydrant in 2009, and a Genesis GV80 might have saved his life in a crash last week.

Images and videos of the battered GV80, a new midsize crossover that arrived at dealers in December after a long delay because of the coronavirus pandemic, were plastered on TV and social media last week following the single-vehicle accident that left Woods' right leg fractured and his ankle shattered.

Woods was driving a GV80 courtesy vehicle after serving as host for the Genesis Invitational golf tournament.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a news conference that the GV80 rolled several times after leaving the roadway while going down a hill. Fortunately, Villanueva said, the passenger compartment of the GV80 was intact and the airbags deployed. The fact that Woods was wearing a seat belt could very well have saved him from more serious injuries or death, the sheriff said.

During the tournament, Genesis had posted photos on its Instagram account of Woods with the GV80. In one, Woods, Genesis Motors America CEO Mark Del Rosso and tournament winner Max Homa stood in front of a GV80 on display at the event.

The incident resurfaced memories of the 2009 Escalade crash outside Woods' home in Florida that exposed multiple extramarital affairs and derailed his meteoric career. Woods wasn't seriously injured, but he and model Elin Nordegren, who smashed the SUV's windows with a golf club, reportedly to help him get out, divorced the next year.