Tiger Woods Arrested for DUI, Unhurt After Rollover Car Crash in Florida

The Martin County sheriff said Woods was uninjured and refused to take a urine test, which automatically resulted in a DUI charge.

Woods was involved in a rollover crash on Tuesday afternoon. | Rich Storry/Getty Images

Tiger Woods was arrested and jailed Friday afternoon following a two-car crash near his Jupiter, Fla., home in which he was not injured but was charged with driving under the influence, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s office in South Florida.

Woods was not impaired due to alcohol, according to John Budensiek, the sheriff who conducted a news conference and explained that Woods passed a breathalyzer test. But he refused to take a urine test, which automatically meant he would be charged.

Under Florida law, Woods was allowed to refuse the urinalysis test, which leads to an automatic arrest and a minimum eight-hour jail stint.

Budensiek said Woods was jailed around 3 p.m. ET and is required by Florida law to spend a minimum of eight hours in jail. He can then be released after paying bail.

According to Budensiek, the accident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. ET. An unidentified male was driving a pressure-cleaning truck and pulling a smaller trailer on a two-lane road and noticed in his rear-view mirror that a Land Rover was closing in on him “at a high rate of speed.”

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek conducted a news conference with an update on Tiger Woods's rollover crash and arrest. | CRYSTAL VANDER WEIT/TCPALM / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As he was trying to pull to the side of the road, the Land Rover, driven by Woods, overtook him and clipped the back left side of the truck, causing Woods’s car to turn over on its side. The driver of the truck was not injured.

“The individual was able to crawl out the passenger side,” Budensiek said of Woods. “He did exemplify signs of impairment.”

Woods, a 15-time major champion who was hopeful of a return to golf at the Masters, was charged with two misdemeanors, DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

This is the fourth time Woods, 50, has been involved in a traffic issue that involved law enforcement.

Breaking: Tiger Woods involved in rollover crash on Jupiter Island, deputies say https://t.co/EZ27zriGd4

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Woods has a long history of vehicle incidents

In 2009, Woods crashed into a fire hydrant in his neighbor’s yard near his Orlando home on Thanksgiving night. His then-wife Elin was reported to have pulled him from the car. No charges were filed.

In 2017, not long after a spinal fusion surgery, Woods was found passed out around 3 a.m. while driving in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., not far from his home. He was arrested and found to have prescription drugs in his system. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and agreed to a plea deal. Police later dropped charges of driving under the influence, but footage of his arrest and jail mugshot went viral.

In February 2021, Woods was involved in a serious one-car crash near Los Angeles while on his way to a publicity shoot. The SUV he was driving reportedly rolled several times and Woods suffered serious injuries leading to multiple surgeries on his lower right leg that make it difficult to walk long distances.

Crash investigators did not seek a warrant for a blood test because they said there was no evidence of impairment or intoxication. No charges were filed, and the crash was ruled an accident. 

He returned to golf 14 months later but has played sparingly since, missing all of last year following an Achilles injury that required surgery.

Woods was preparing to play this year’s Masters

Woods had disk replacement surgery in October and was trying to get ready to play in the Masters in two weeks. He has not played since the 2024 British Open.

“I’ve been trying. Just this body is—it doesn't recover like it did when it was 24, 25,” Woods said Tuesday night following his indoor golf league TGL appearance. “It doesn’t mean I’m not trying. I’ve been trying for a while. I’ve had a couple bad injuries here over the past years that I’ve had to fight through and it’s taken some time.

“But I keep trying. I want to play. I love the tournament. I’ve loved being there since I was 19 years old. It’s meant a lot to me and my family over the years. I’m going to be there either way with The Loop that's going up there [a nine-hole course he designed at the Augusta municipal golf course], as well as the Champions Dinner.”

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