Summary
- Tiger Woods was arrested Friday afternoon on DUI charges after his Land Rover rolled over on Jupiter Island, Florida, near his home.
- Woods blew 0.00 on a breathalyzer but refused a urine test; the sheriff believes impairment was caused by medication or drugs.
- This is Woods’ second DUI arrest in Florida, following a 2017 incident — and his third major vehicle crash in under two decades.
It’s been a rough Friday for Tiger Woods. The golf legend was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after his Land Rover rolled over on Jupiter Island, Florida, on the afternoon of March 27. The crash occurred just before 2 p.m., not far from Woods’ own home.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said that the Jupiter Island Police Department received reports of a rollover crash near 281 South Beach Road. Upon arrival, law enforcement found a pickup truck pulling a pressure cleaner trailer — and a Land Rover, driven by Tiger Woods, rolled over on its driver’s side.
According to law enforcement, Woods was driving a dark Land Rover when he clipped the truck. The truck’s driver told officials that he was turning into a driveway off the two-lane road when he looked in his mirror and saw Woods driving “at high speeds.” When the truck driver tried to get off the road, the Land Rover “overtook” the truck at the last minute, swerved to avoid a full collision, but ultimately clipped the back of the trailer.
Woods was able to climb out of the passenger side door of the vehicle. No one — not Woods, not the other driver — was injured.
Then came the sobriety tests.
“Our DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify the signs of impairment,” Sheriff Budensiek said during a press conference. DUI investigators ran through their standard battery of roadside tests. “They did several tests on him, of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had — we did take that into account — but they did do some in-depth roadside tests, and when it was determined, he was placed under arrest and taken to the Martin County Jail,” Budensiek said.
Here’s where it gets complicated. The sheriff said a “lethargic” Woods complied with a breathalyzer test and blew “triple zeroes.” Zero alcohol. But Woods then refused a urine test, which is used to detect drugs or medication.
That refusal cost him. “He’s been charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test,” Budensiek said. Both are misdemeanors. Budensiek said authorities believed Woods was under the influence of a medication or drug. Investigators said they believe impairment may have been caused by medication, though no substances were found in the vehicle.
As for what exactly was in his system? “We will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash,” Budensiek said.
Woods was to be held until at least 11 p.m. Friday, then released if he posted bond. He has since been released on bond, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
This isn’t Woods’ first rodeo on the Florida DUI circuit. He was previously arrested in 2017 for DUI, and before that, was cited for careless driving in 2009. An incident report from 2017 said that he was asleep and “had to be woken up.” After that arrest, Woods checked himself into a clinic for prescription medication.
And then there was the 2021 crash — arguably the most harrowing chapter of his off-course life. In 2021, he was injured in a rollover crash in Rolling Hills Estates in Southern California. Authorities said he was driving at least twice the speed limit in a 45 mph zone when his Genesis GV80 struck a tree, causing the vehicle to fly through the air and land on its side. The 50-year-old has had multiple operations since that accident. In October, he had surgery to replace a disc in his back. Worth noting: after the 2021 crash, Vicodin, Dilaudid, Xanax, Ambien, and THC were found in Woods’ system.
Since then, Woods has played in just 11 tournaments over the last five seasons, finishing only four of those tournaments.
As news of the crash and arrest spread Friday, the reactions came quickly. President Donald Trump briefly spoke about the accident after landing in Miami, calling Woods a “very close friend.” “I feel so badly,” Trump told reporters. “He’s got some difficulty. There was an accident and that’s all I know. …(He’s a) very close friend of mine.”
Woods is currently dating Vanessa Trump, Trump’s former daughter-in-law.
The road where the crash happened, for what it’s worth, isn’t exactly a speedway. Authorities noted that the road is a narrow, two-lane road with a 30 mph speed limit and little room for drivers to pull over.
It’s a sobering moment for a career that has already been defined as much by its improbable comebacks as its 82 PGA Tour victories. Whether there’s another chapter left — on or off the course — is now very much an open question.
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