Golf
Tiger Woods charged with driving under the influence after Florida car crash
Tiger Woods has been charged with driving under the influence after being involved in a car crash in Florida, police have said.
The 15-time major winner was taken to jail after his Land Rover rolled over in a collision with a pick-up truck towing a trailer he was attempting to overtake on Jupiter Island.
Woods walked away unhurt but was described as “lethargic” by officers, questioned at the scene and later refused to submit to a urine test.
Sheriff John Budensiek from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office told reporters Woods had also been charged with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Budensiek said: “The DUI investigators came to the scene and Mr Woods did exemplify signs of impairment.
“They did several tests on him. He did explain the injuries and surgeries that he’s had and we did take that into account, but they did so some in-depth roadside tests.
“When it was determined, he was placed under arrest and taken to the Martin County jail.
“At the Martin County jail, and even on scene, we were really not suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case and that proved to be true.
“Mr Woods did a breathalyser test with triple zeros, but when it came time for us to ask for a urinary analysis test, he refused and so he has been charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”
Budensiek added officers believed Woods was “impaired on medication”.
He said Woods had been driving at “high speed” and his vehicle tipped on to its side and then “slid for a pretty decent space before he came to a stop”.
The speed limit on the road in question was 30mph.
He will be kept in jail for at least eight hours before being eligible for release on bond. The offences are not felonies.
The driver of the other vehicle, who had been slowing to turn into a driveway off the two-lane road, was also unhurt.
Woods underwent emergency surgery after suffering multiple leg injuries following a serious car accident in California in February 2021.
He was sidelined for 15 months and his appearances since have been sporadic due to numerous other injury setbacks.
He was also arrested on suspicion of DUI offences in 2017 after being found asleep at the wheel of his car in Jupiter, Florida. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving after it emerged he had had five prescription drugs in his system at the time.
In 2009 he crashed his car into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home an incident that led to a spectacular unravelling of his private life.
This latest accident comes after Woods returned to competitive action for the first time in over a year on the final night of play in the indoor TGL competition on Tuesday.
Woods had said afterwards that he hoped he would be fit enough to play at the Masters next month.
Commenting on the crash, United States president Donald Trump told reporters: “I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty. There was an accident. That’s all I know. He’s a a very close friend of mine, he’s an amazing person, an amazing man.”
