Tiger Woods was released from Martin County Jail in Florida on Friday evening after being arrested for driving under the influence following a car crash. The golfer’s mugshot, showing him with red eyes, was made public shortly before he left the jail at around 8:15pm PT. He was driven away in a chauffeured Cadillac after posting bond, according to sheriff’s officials.
The crash occurred just before 2pm ET when Woods’ Land Rover, travelling at high speed, clipped the back of a truck towing a pressure cleaner trailer on a two-lane road with a 30mph limit. The vehicle flipped and came to rest with the driver’s door pinned against the ground. Woods climbed out through the passenger side and insisted he was unharmed. Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods was “cooperative but not trying to incriminate himself.”
Woods blew a 0.00 on a breathalyzer test but showed signs of impairment. He told police he had several health issues and had undergone multiple operations. He was charged with driving under the influence with property damage, which carries a possible one-year jail sentence, fines or probation. He also faces a charge of failure to take a urine test, which could lead to a one-year licence suspension.
This is Woods’ second DUI arrest; a 2017 incident occurred almost in the same location, with Woods found to have a mix of Xanax, Vicodin, Ambien, Dilaudid and THC in his system. That prior offence may be considered in sentencing. Woods was also involved in a serious crash in February 2021 in California, but was not charged.
President Donald Trump, who called Woods a “good friend”, declined to comment extensively on the arrest, saying, “He’s got some difficulty … I don’t want to talk about it.” Earlier in the week, Trump had stated that Woods would not play in the upcoming Masters, contradicting Woods’ own hopes. Woods remains signed up for the US Senior Open in July.
