On November 27, 2009, Tiger Woods was taken to hospital after an early morning car accident near his home, reportedly in serious condition. Woods was leaving his home around 2:30 a.m. (EST) in his SUV, a 2009 Cadillac Escalade, when he collided with a fire hydrant and a tree down the street. The Florida Highway Patrol said that the crash was not alcohol-related, but continued to investigate. Woods was released from the hospital in good condition; his agent said that Woods was fine, and had been treated for facial lacerations. The airbags in his SUV did not deploy which suggested that he was not travelling above 33mph. On November 29, Woods issued a statement saying the car accident was his fault, but is a private matter. He praised his wife Elin for getting him out of the car. Details about what caused the accident were not revealed. Two days before the accident, The National Enquirer had published a story that alleged that Woods had had an affair with nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel‎, which she denied. Woods said, "the many false, unfounded, and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible".

On December 1, 2009, Woods was charged by the Florida Highway Patrol with one charge of careless driving. The fine is $164 and 4 points on his driving license.[35] The Florida Highway Patrol indicated that upon payment of the fine, the case is closed.

Also on December 1, Woods announced that he would not be attending his own charity golf tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, or any other tournaments in 2009.

On December 2, Woods expressed regret on his personal website for "trangressions" and "let[ting] his family down" and offered a "profound apology." The apology came on the same day that a San Diego cocktail waitress, Jaimee Grubbs, went public saying that she had a 2.5 year affair with Woods and produced voice and text messages that woods left her. According to Grubbs, she first met Woods on April 13, 2007 in Las Vegas, they had their first sexual encounter in San Diego a few days later, and last met in October 2009.