Image source, Getty Images
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- Author, Atahualpa America
- Author’s title, BBC News World
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Reading time: 4 min
Golfer Tiger Woods has been charged with driving under the influence after a car accident in Florida, police reported this Friday.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office, on the east coast of the US state, stated that charges were also filed for property damage and refusal to submit to a legal test.
Woods’ Land Rover overturned after colliding sideways with a pressure cleaning truck on Jupiter Island this Friday, said John Budensiek, the sheriff of this county on Florida’s east coast.
The 50-year-old golfer, who had to exit through the passenger side of his vehicle, passed the breathalyzer test after the accident, but refused to take a urine test.
Authorities also confirmed that no one was injured in the incident, which took place shortly after 2:00 p.m. on Friday (7:00 p.m. GMT).
Arrested after refusing a test
“DUI investigators responded to the scene and Woods was showing signs of being under the influence,” Sheriff Budensiek said at a news conference.
“They performed several tests on him. He explained the injuries and surgeries he has undergone and we took that into account; however, they performed some exhaustive tests on him at the scene of the accident,” the official added.
“Once the situation was determined, he was arrested and transported to the Martin County Jail,” he said.
Image source, Getty Images
The authority indicated that “both at the Martin County Jail and at the scene of the accident itself, we really did not suspect that there was alcohol involved in this case, and that turned out to be true.”
Woods, he claimed, gave a zero result on the breathalyzer test, but “when it came time to request a urine test, he refused.”
Budensiek also noted that Woods had been “cooperative” with authorities, although he was “trying not to incriminate himself.”
“You have the right to refuse that test,” Budensiek reported.
“There is a legal provision under which you will be charged for refusing to submit to such an examination, however, we will never get definitive results as to what substance was affecting your faculties at the time of the accident,” he added.
Asked about the golfer’s accident, US President Donald Trump responded: “I feel very sorry. He is going through a difficult situation. There was an accident. That’s all I know.”
“He is a very close friend of mine; he is an extraordinary person, an incredible man,” he added.
Sheriff Budensiek reported that Woods would be detained for eight hours and then released on bail.
The BBC has contacted the golfer’s representatives for comment.
Sports successes and accidents
Tiger Woods, considered one of the best golfers of all time, has gone through a period marked by injuries, accidents and limited sporting activity in recent years.
In February 2021, the SUV he was driving left a coastal highway in Los Angeles at high speed and suffered multiple fractures to his leg and ankle.
Since that accident, Woods has barely competed: he has only played 11 tournaments and, on the four occasions in which he completed the 72 rounds, he never finished less than 16 shots behind the winner.
Image source, Getty Images
Previously, in 2017, he was arrested in South Florida after being found asleep at the wheel of his vehicle, parked irregularly and with damage to the driver’s side.
Woods then explained that he had taken an inappropriate combination of painkillers and subsequently pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
Aside from these episodes, his sporting legacy remains one of the most outstanding in the history of golf.
In 2019 he won his fifth Masters, achieving his fifteenth tournament title major.
On the PGA circuit he has 82 victories, a record he shares with the legendary Sam Snead.
At 50 years old, Woods has tried to return to competition after undergoing his seventh back surgery in September.
Before that intervention he had already been out of the circuit for months and in March 2025 he suffered a rupture of his Achilles tendon, which prevented him from playing for the entire season.
His last official tournament was the 2024 British Open, although this past Tuesday he participated in a match in his indoor golf league, the TGL.
Beyond the field, the American maintains an active role in the organization of the professional circuit, being part of the committee in charge of designing the new competitive model of the PGA Tour, which is undergoing a restructuring process.
In addition, Woods must soon decide whether he agrees to captain the American team in the 2027 Ryder Cup, which will be held in Ireland.
The PGA of America has asked for a response before the end of March.
In the last edition of the competition, Woods rejected the proposal.
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