Tiger Woods has left Florida as he bids to avoid Hurricane Milton, while Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s houses are both in weather alert areas.
Tiger Woods has reportedly fled from the path of deadly Hurricane Milton. The huge storm made landfall in Florida on Wednesday night and has already wrecked havoc across the state.
The golf legend’s private plane was spotted edging away from the fearsome storm and was picked up by radars flying away from Florida on Wednesday morning. The account which reported Woods’ escape from the storm then claimed his plane was making its descent towards Jackson, Mississippi.
Why Woods’ plane was heading specifically to Jackson remains unknown according to Golf Magic, however he is not the only golfing star who was in danger of facing the full force of the hurricane. Irish stars Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s grand residences in Florida were also on high alert as Milton made its way in their direction.
Both players own luxury homes in Jupiter, Florida, which has been under a ‘tropical storm warning’. As tension was building ahead of the hurricane’s arrival, Shane’s wife, Wendy Lowry posted an Instagram photo of the couple’s child cycling, captioning it “Calm before the storm.”
McIlroy has made Jupiter his home since buying property there from fellow golf star Ernie Els in 2011. Lowry then became a local in 2017, just ahead of his Open triumph at Royal Portrush. McIlroy’s home, believed to be worth in the region of a staggering £17million, resides on 2.4 acres and is reported to have 10 bathrooms in addition to the nine bedrooms across the sprawling property. The South Florida residence also features a stunning infinity pool, as well as a games room, tennis court, home theater, recording studio and state-of-the-art gym.
The 13,000-square-foot home also has a six-car garage where the golfing icon will be hoping his hefty car collection is safe from Milton’s path. Just outside the property, where McIlroy lives with his wife Erica Stoll, there are dozens of foliage, including several palm trees and a private golf course.
Prior to the once in a century storm, an official from Pasco County, Florida, warned its 600,000 residents: “This is your last chance to take shelter. After that, you’ll need to find a way to the shelter or be prepared to ride out the storm.”
Milton, which built into a Category 5 storm as it barreled across the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida, collided into the sunshine state and has caused devastation. Widespread damage and flooding have meant large parts of the area are no-go zones.
Tragically, multiple deaths have already been confirmed, after a series of tornadoes unleashed by the mega storm destroyed homes and flattened communities. The storm originally made landfall as a Category 3 Hurricane but Milton dropped to a Category 2 hurricane as it tore through the centre of Florida and officials now fear the death toll will only rise.
United States President Joe Biden warned that evacuation ahead of the storm was “life and death.” While, Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, said: “Absolutely every place on the west coast of Florida could get a major storm surge.” Hurricane Milton comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the Gulf Coast as a category four storm, killing at least 225 people across Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
