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Tiger Woods was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence after his Land Rover, travelling at “high speed” on a residential road, clipped a truck and rolled onto its side.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods was able to crawl out of passenger side and was not injured.
“He did exemplify signs of an impairment,” Budensiek said, adding that investigators believe he had taken “some type of medication or drug.” He said Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test and was arrested.
Under Florida law, he would have to spend eight hours in jail before he could 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 being held in jail but separate from others.
“He’s not going to be with other inmates that could hurt him or try to capitalize on what he did,” he said. “He’ll pay the price, but he’s not going to pay the price by getting punished in jail.”
It was the second time Woods has been arrested for a DUI not as a result of 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 its driver’s side damaged. Woods pleaded guilty then to reckless driving.
U.S. President Donald Trump, whose former daughter-in-law is dating Tiger Woods, was asked about the golfer when he landed in Miami on Friday afternoon for an investment summit.
“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” said Trump, who, during his first term in the Oval Office, awarded Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person. Amazing man. But, some difficulty.”
Tried to pass pressure cleaner truck: sheriff
The crash occurred just before 2 p.m. local time, not far from where Woods lives on Jupiter Island, Fla.
Budensiek said Woods attempted to pass a pressure cleaner truck while driving on a two-lane road with a 30 mph (48 km/h) speed limit. He said authorities could not determine how fast Woods was going.
The Land Rover swerved to avoid a collision as he was passing the truck but clipped the back end of the truck’s trailer, Budensiek said. Woods’ car then rolled onto its driver’s side.
The sheriff said Woods was “co-operative, but he’s not trying to incriminate himself.” He said Woods has the right to refuse the urine test and that authorities “will never get definitive results with what he was impaired on.”
Woods’ manager at Excel Sports did not immediately respond to a text message seeking information.
Prior crashes
This was at least the third time Woods has been involved in a car crash, most recently in February 2021 when his SUV ran off a coastal road in Los Angeles at a high rate of speed, leading to multiple leg and ankle injuries. Woods said later doctors considered amputation.
He also previously sustained multiple injuries to his left knee and his back during his golf career.
Woods returned from multiple back surgeries to win the Masters for his 15th major in 2019. His 82 wins on the PGA Tour is tied for the all-time record with Sam Snead. Since that L.A. crash, he has played 11 tournaments without being closer than 16 shots to the winner the four times he was able to finish 72 holes.
Friday’s arrest comes as Woods was trying to decide if he was fit enough to play the Masters, which starts April 9. He also was to be in Augusta, Georgia, on April 5 to unveil a golf course project with Masters chairman Fred Ridley.
Woods also was days away from what was described as a “soft deadline” to decide whether to be the U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the 2027 matches in Ireland.
Woods, 50, had been working his way back to golf from a seventh back surgery in September. He had not decided whether he could play in the Masters on April 9-12.
His last official tournament was the British Open in 2024. Woods ruptured his Achilles tendon in March 2025 and that kept him off the course all season even before the back surgery. He managed to play in his indoor TGL golf league on Tuesday night.
He has remained deeply involved in PGA Tour affairs as chairman of the Future Competition Committee that is restructuring the model of the tour.
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