Golfer Tiger Woods has been arrested on suspicion of DUI in Florida, authorities said
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Tiger Woods was arrested on Friday on suspicion of drink driving after his Land Rover, which was traveling at “speed” on a residential road, cut off a truck and overturned on its side.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods was able to crawl to the passenger side and was not injured.
“He exhibited signs of impairment,” Budensiek said, adding that investigators believe he had taken “some type of drug or medication.” He said Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test and was arrested.
According to Florida law, he will have to spend eight hours in jail before he can post bail.
Budensiek said the sheriff’s office will follow the law regardless of who has been accused of a crime. He said Woods was arrested but separated from the others.
“There will be no other prisoners who can harm him or try to take advantage of what he has done,” he said. “He will pay the price, but he won’t pay the price with a prison sentence.”
It was Woods’ second DUI arrest and was not under the influence of alcohol. He said he took a bad mix of painkillers when authorities found him in 2017 asleep behind the wheel of his car, the engine still running and the driver’s side damaged. Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
American President Donald Trump, whose daughter-in-law was dating Tiger Woods, was asked about the golfer when he arrived in Miami on Friday afternoon to hold an investment conference.
“I feel so bad. He’s struggling,” said Trump, who, during his first term in the Oval Office, awarded Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “My best friend. He’s a wonderful person. A wonderful man. But, some difficulties.”
Tried to pass pressure cleaning truck: sheriff
The accident happened before two o’clock in the afternoon local time, near where Woods lives in Jupiter Island, Fla.
Budensiek said Woods tried to pass a pickup truck while driving on a two-lane road at 30 mph (48 km/h). He said authorities could not determine how fast Woods was traveling.
The Land Rover swerved to avoid a collision when it passed the truck but clipped the back of the truck’s trailer, Budensiek said. Woods’ car then overturned on its driver’s side.
The sheriff said Woods is “cooperating with them, but he’s not trying to incriminate himself.” He said Woods had the right to refuse a urine test and that authorities “will never get definitive results of what he was impaired by.”
Woods’ manager at Excel Sports did not immediately respond to a message seeking information.
Previous crash
This was at least the third time Woods has been involved in a car accident, most recently in February 2021 when his SUV ran down a Los Angeles beach road at high speed, resulting in multiple leg and ankle injuries. Woods said doctors eventually considered amputation.
He also injured his left knee and back several times while playing golf.
Woods came back from multiple back surgeries to win the Masters for his 15th major in 2019. His 82 wins on the PGA Tour are tied for the all-time record with Sam Snead. Since that crash in LA, he has played 11 tournaments without coming within 16 shots of the four-time winner’s 72-hole finish.
Friday’s arrest comes as Woods tries to decide if he is ready to play the Masters, which starts on April 9. He was also in Augusta, Georgia, on April 5 to present a golf course project with Masters chairman Fred Ridley.
Woods was also days away from what was described as a “deadline” to decide whether to captain the US Ryder Cup at the 2027 Games in Ireland.
Woods, 50, had been working his way back to golf from his seventh back surgery in September. He has not yet decided whether to play in the Masters on April 9-12.
His last official tournament was the British Open in 2024. Woods tore his Achilles tendon in March 2025 and that kept him out for the entire season even before back surgery. He was able to play in his TGL indoor golf league on Tuesday night.
He remains deeply involved in PGA Tour affairs as chairman of the Future Competition Committee that is restructuring the tour’s model.
