1 of 5 | Tiger Woods returned for his first competitive golf event in 13 months, the TGL Finals on Tuesday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
March 27 (UPI) — Golf icon Tiger Woods was arrested and charged with DUI for his role in a rollover crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., officials said Friday.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said at a news conference that the two-car crash, in which on one was hurt, occurred Friday afternoon.
Woods faces misdemeanor DUI charges, plus those related to property damage and refusal to submit to a urinalysis. He was being held in Martin County Jail for at least eight hours and then to be released on bond Friday night.
Officers recognized signs of impairment from Woods at the scene. He produced a 0.00 reading in a breathalyzer test, but was acting impaired, Budensiek said.
He said the Jupiter Island Police Department received a call about the crash at about 2 p.m. EDT. Officers discovered a pickup truck pulling a pressure cleaner trailer and a Land Rover, which was rolled over on its driver’s side.
A preliminary investigation determined that the pickup truck was traveling northbound on Beach Road and was slowing down to turn into a driveway. The driver of the truck then saw Woods’ Land Rover attempting to overtake his vehicle “at high speeds.”
Golfer Tiger Woods posses for a mugshot on Friday in at Martin County Jail in Stuart, Fla. Photo courtesy of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office
Budensiek said the driver of the truck attempted to edge off to the roadside, but the Land Rover clipped his trailer. The Land Rover then rolled as a result of the impact. Woods crawled out of the passenger side of the car.
“Our DUI investigators came to the scene here and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment,” Budensiek said.
Officers performed in-depth roadside tests on Woods before he was placed under arrest and taken to the Martin County Jail. No drugs or medication was found in Woods’ Land Rover.
Woods participated in the TGL Finals on Tuesday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The tech-infused virtual golf league event was his first official competition in 13 months. The 15-time major winner said he was “trying to make progress” toward playing in the 2026 Masters Tournament.
The 2026 Masters will be held from April 9 to 12 in Augusta, Ga. Woods did not provide a timeline for his decision playing in the Masters, but said he planned to be on site.
He previously announced plans to attend the annual Champions Dinner and to be present for the opening of The Loop at the Patch, a new nine-hole course that he designed.
Woods was arrested on a previous DUI charge in 2017 in Palm Beach County, Fla.. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
Woods was involved in a separate rollover crash in 2021 in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. He sustained fractures to his right leg, ankle and foot, but was not charged.
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