Tiger Woods has closed on Wednesday one of the outstanding matters stemming from the serious incident he was involved in last March in Florida. The winner of 15 major championships reached an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office during his appearance before the Martin County court over the driving under the influence (DUI) case opened after the crash he suffered on 27 March on Jupiter Island. The main consequence will be significant: he will not be able to drive for the next five years.
Woods, 50, attended the Stuart courthouse accompanied by his partner, Vanessa Trump, who remained by his side during a hearing in which the American barely spoke. Until now he had pleaded not guilty to charges of driving under the influence causing property damage and of refusing to submit to a legal test.
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The agreement reached with the Prosecutor’s Office allowed the main DUI charge to be reduced to one of reckless driving, considered a second offence. In addition, the second charge was changed to careless driving. Judge Darren Steele imposed a five-year suspension of his driving licence for each of them, although both will run concurrently, so the effective punishment will be five years and not ten. Woods will also face financial fines.
The judge was particularly forceful when explaining the conditions of the sentence. Woods will have no exception that allows him to get behind the wheel during that period and was warned that driving with a suspended licence could send him back to prison.
The accident and footage of his arrest
The case dates back to 27 March, when the Land Rover driven by Woods collided with the trailer of a pickup while travelling along a residential road on Jupiter Island, very close to his home. The golfer’s vehicle ended up rolling onto its side. Neither Woods nor the driver of the other vehicle were injured, although the crash caused property damage estimated at about $5,000.
According to the police report, officers observed several signs of impairment in Woods during the sobriety tests carried out after the crash. The American tested negative for alcohol, but he refused to provide a urine sample, used to detect the presence of drugs or medications. During a search, officers also found two hydrocodone pills, a powerful opioid painkiller, in one of Woods‘ pockets.
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Tiger himself told officers that he had taken several prescription medications that day. Shortly after the arrest became public, he announced he was stepping away temporarily from his activities to undergo treatment and focus on his health. The courts subsequently authorised him to leave the United States to enter a treatment centre in Europe.
It was not the first episode of this kind for Woods. In 2017 he was also arrested in Florida for an alleged DUI after the Police found him asleep at the wheel. On that occasion he had not consumed alcohol either and attributed his condition to a combination of medications. The case also ended with an agreement under which he pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
The March episode caused a new interruption in the public activity of a golf legend whose career in recent years has been marked by injuries, operations and accidents. Woods has not returned to competition since then, although he reappeared publicly on 23 June to take part in the presentation of the PGA Tour‘s plans to revamp its schedule from 2028 and continues to serve as chair of the Future Competition Committee of the US circuit.
