Tiger Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Friday afternoon after rolling his Land Rover on Jupiter Island, Florida, three days after making his return to competitive golf in the TGL finals.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the arrest following a press conference held at 5 p.m. ET. Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods, 50, was traveling at a high rate of speed on Beach Road near his home when he attempted to pass a pickup truck pulling a pressure-cleaner trailer on a two-lane road.
Woods’ Land Rover clipped the back of the trailer, tipped onto the driver’s side, and slid along the road before coming to a stop.
Woods crawled out of the passenger door on his own. No one was injured. When officers arrived, the problem became apparent immediately.
“Initially right off the top, it did appear that the driver of the Land Rover might be impaired,” Budensiek said. “The chief of Jupiter Island Police Department called me from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and asked for our assistance.”
DUI investigators responded to the scene and conducted roadside testing. “Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment,” Budensiek said. He described Woods as “lethargic” at the scene.
Woods explained his recent injuries and surgeries to officers, a ruptured Achilles tendon in March 2025 and a lumbar disc replacement in October, and investigators took that into account.
He was described as “cooperative, but he was not trying to incriminate himself.”
Woods was charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Both charges are misdemeanors under Florida law. He was transported to the Martin County Jail, where Florida law requires he be held a minimum of eight hours before release on bond. He was expected to be released Friday night.
Did Tiger Woods Take A Breathalyzer?
Woods agreed to take a breathalyzer. He blew 0.00. No alcohol whatsoever.
He refused a urine test, however, which is used to detect drugs or prescription medication. That refusal is a separate charge. Budensiek said no drugs or medication were found inside the vehicle.
But investigators’ conclusion from the scene was clear, “They believe from on scene that he was not impaired on alcohol. They believe it was some type of medication or drug.”
This is the same pattern as his 2017 DUI arrest in Jupiter, Florida, also in Palm Beach County, also with no alcohol involved.
In that incident, a dashcam showed Woods asleep at the wheel at a stop, appearing disoriented and woozy. He was released on his own recognizance.
Tests at that time found multiple prescription drugs in his system, including the painkiller Vicodin, and he later entered a program to deal with prescription medication management.
He pleaded no contest to reckless driving and avoided a conviction.
The charges from Friday are the same category of offense. Whether the underlying facts are the same remains under investigation.
What Did Sheriffs Say?
Budensiek made clear at the press conference that the lack of injuries was fortunate rather than inevitable.
The crash happened on a narrow, two-lane road with no shoulder, a section of South Beach Road that runs through the exclusive Jupiter Island waterfront community near Woods’ $54 million estate.
“Had there been somebody moving in the opposite direction, we would not be having a conversation saying there was no injuries,” Budensiek said. “This could have been a lot worse.”
Three Days After His Return To Golf
The timing of the crash sits at the center of everything happening in Woods’s public life right now. On Tuesday, March 24, Woods made his return to competitive golf as captain of Jupiter Links Golf Club in the TGL indoor golf league finals against the Los Angeles Golf Club.
It was his first competitive appearance since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he missed the cut, his last event before the Achilles rupture and subsequent back surgery sidelined him for more than a year.
Jupiter Links lost 9-2, but Woods hit drives exceeding 300 yards and was widely covered as a marker that he was making progress.
After the match, he was asked about the Masters. “I’ve been trying,” he said. “This body just doesn’t recover like it did when I was 24 or 25. I want to play. I love the tournament. I love being there since I was 19 years old. I’m going to be there either way.”
The Masters begins April 9 at Augusta National. That timeline, now nine days away, hangs over everything that happened Friday. On Thursday, President Donald Trump had already appeared to close the door.
In a Fox News interview, he said, “I love Tiger. He will be there, but he won’t be playing in it.”
When told of Friday’s crash while in Miami, Trump said: “I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty. There was an accident and that’s all I know. He’s an amazing person, amazing man. But some difficulty.”
Trump has described Woods as a close friend and is currently dating Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr.’s former wife.
Woods’ Third Crash
Friday’s crash is the third serious vehicle incident in Woods’s adult life.
The first major one came in 2021, in Rolling Hills Estates near Los Angeles. His SUV left the road, traveled several hundred feet downhill, and flipped multiple times.
Investigators later determined he was traveling between 84 and 87 mph in a 45 mph zone. He was trapped inside and had to be extracted through the windshield by first responders.
He suffered open fractures to his lower right leg, required a rod in his tibia, and had screws and pins inserted in his foot and ankle during emergency surgery. He had at least one additional surgery related to those injuries in 2023.
That crash alone should have ended his career. He has been managing its consequences ever since.
The Achilles rupture in March 2025, separate from the 2021 crash, came while he was competing at the Genesis Invitational.
The lumbar disc surgery in October followed as his body continued to compound injuries.
Friday’s crash added a DUI charge to a body that has already endured more than most athletes twice his age.
No statement from Woods or his representatives had been released as of Friday evening. The investigation remains open.
