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Tiger Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on Friday after his Land Rover was traveling at a “high rate of speed” on a residential street, struck a truck and rolled onto its side.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods was able to crawl out of the passenger side and was not injured.
“He showed signs of impairment,” Budensiek said, adding that investigators believe he had taken “some type of medication or drug.” He said Woods agreed to a breathalyzer test, which showed no signs of alcohol, but he 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 is accused of a crime. He said Woods will be held in prison but separate from the others.
“He will not be around other inmates who might hurt him or try to capitalize on what he did,” he said. “He will pay the price, but he will not pay the price by being punished in prison.”
It was the second time Woods was arrested for drunk driving, not driving under the influence. He said he was taking a bad mix of painkillers when authorities found him asleep behind the wheel of his car in 2017, with the engine still running and the driver’s side damaged. Forest then pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
US President Donald Trump, whose former daughter-in-law is dating Tiger Woods, was asked about the golfer as he landed in Miami on Friday afternoon for an investment summit.
“I feel so bad. He’s having some difficulties,” said Trump, who honored Woods in his first term in the Oval Office with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “A very close friend of mine. He’s a great person. A great man. But there are some difficulties.”
Tried to pass a pressure washer truck: Sheriff
The crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. local time, not far from Wood’s home on Jupiter Island, Florida.
Budensiek said Woods tried to pass a pressure washer 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 driving.
The Land Rover swerved to avoid a collision as it passed the truck, but struck the rear end of the truck trailer, Budensiek said. Woods’ car then rolled onto its driver’s side.
The sheriff said Woods was “cooperative, but he was not trying to incriminate himself.” He said Woods had the right to refuse the urine test and that authorities would “never receive definitive results on the items on which he was impaired.”
Woods’ manager at Excel Sports did not immediately respond to a text message seeking information.
Previous crashes
This was at least the third time Woods was involved in a car accident, most recently in February 2021 when his SUV veered off a coastal road in Los Angeles at high speed, causing multiple leg and ankle injuries. Woods later told doctors considered an amputation.
During his golf career he has suffered several injuries to his left knee and back.
Woods returned from multiple back surgeries and won the Masters for his 15th major in 2019. His 82 PGA Tour victories are tied with Sam Snead for the all-time record. Since that crash in LA, he has played 11 tournaments without coming within 16 strokes of the winner, finishing 72 holes four times.
Friday’s arrest came as Woods was trying to decide whether he was fit enough to compete in the Masters, which begins April 9. He was also scheduled to be in Augusta, Georgia, on April 5 to unveil a golf course project with Masters Chairman Fred Ridley.
Woods was also just days away from the so-called “soft deadline” to decide whether to captain the US Ryder Cup for the 2027 Games in Ireland.
The 50-year-old Woods has been working his way back into golf since 2010 a seventh back operation in September. He hadn’t yet decided whether he could play in the Masters April 9-12.
His last official tournament was the British Open in 2024. Woods tore his Achilles tendon in March 2025 and that kept him off the course all season, even before the back surgery. On Tuesday night, he managed to play in his indoor TGL golf league.
He remains deeply involved in PGA Tour affairs as chairman of the Future Competition Committee, which is restructuring the Tour’s model.
