Tiger Woods’ turbulent profession veered into recent turmoil on Friday when the golf icon was arrested and charged with driving beneath the affect after a rollover crash close to his Florida residence, authorities mentioned.
Woods, 50, escaped harm however was detained after his automobile clipped a truck whereas trying to overhaul on a residential street on Jupiter Island, flipping onto its aspect earlier than sliding to a cease.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek mentioned Woods — who was arrested for driving beneath the affect in 2017 — confirmed indicators of “impairment”, though he handed a breathalyser check.
“When it got here time for us to ask for a urinalysis check, he refused, and so he is been charged with DUI, with property injury and refusal to undergo a lawful check within the crash,” Budensiek mentioned.
The 15-time main champion was launched in a while Friday, with Florida regulation requiring him to stay in jail for a minimum of eight hours earlier than he might submit bail.
Budensiek mentioned drug recognition specialists who examined Woods on the scene discovered the golfer “torpid” and believed he was impaired with “some sort of treatment or drug.”
No medicine or treatment have been present in his automobile and since Woods refused the urine check, his proper beneath Florida regulation, authorities “won’t ever get definitive outcomes as to what he was impaired on on the time of the crash,” Budensiek mentioned.
‘Might have been worse’
Whereas neither Woods nor the motive force of the opposite automobile was injured, Budensiek mentioned the incident on the two-lane street “might have been quite a bit worse.”
“Had any person been transferring in the other way, we might not be having a dialog saying there was no accidents,” he mentioned.
Budensiek mentioned he did not understand how quick Woods was driving within the moments earlier than the crash.
He mentioned the motive force of the truck had slowed to make a flip, then tried to maneuver to the aspect of the street when he noticed Woods’s fast-moving automobile trying to overhaul him.
“Once I present you the pictures, they sort of communicate for themselves … you’ll be able to see that [Woods] slid for an honest house earlier than he got here to a cease,” mentioned the sheriff, who mentioned that after the crash Woods climbed out of the passenger-side window of his Land Rover.
President Donald Trump expressed sympathy for Woods in remarks to reporters in Miami following the incident.
“He is bought some issue, there was an accident, and that is all I do know,” Trump mentioned. “Very shut buddy of mine. He is an incredible individual, wonderful man, however, uh, some issue.”
Woods was arrested in Jupiter in 2017 after police discovered him asleep on the wheel of his broken automotive. Woods finally pleaded responsible to reckless driving and mentioned he had taken a mixture of painkillers.
5 years in the past, Woods was concerned in a critical automotive crash in California that left him with extreme proper leg accidents that required pins inserted in his foot and ankle and a rod in his tibia in addition to a follow-up surgical procedure in 2023.
Woods returned from that crash on the 2022 Masters, the place he struggled to stroll all 4 rounds on the way in which to a Forty seventh-place end.
Woods, whose clean-cut picture was left in tatters after a 2009 intercourse scandal that upended his profession, has been working to return from an Achilles tendon rupture final March and again surgical procedure final October.
He competed earlier this week within the TGL simulator indoor golf league finals and had not dominated out enjoying in subsequent month’s Masters, the place his 5 victories embody his first main title in 1997 and his most up-to-date in 2019.
“This physique … it does not recuperate prefer it did when it was 24, 25. It doesn´t imply I am not making an attempt,” Woods mentioned. “I maintain making an attempt.”
Woods, whose 82 PGA Tour profession victories are stage with Sam Snead for the all-time file, has not competed on tour since lacking the minimize on the British Open in July 2024.
He final made the minimize on the 2024 Masters, the place he completed sixtieth.
