Tiger Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence This afternoon after his Range Rover rolled onto its side on South Beach Road in Jupiter Island, Florida, according to Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek. The crash occurred around 2 p.m. near 281 South Beach Road, roughly four miles from Woods’ residence. Neither Woods nor the driver of the other vehicle involved was injured.
Woods faces three charges, all misdemeanors: driving under the influence, property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test. Under Florida law, he was held at the Martin County Jail for a minimum of eight hours following his arrest before becoming eligible for release on bond.
What investigators say happened
According to the sheriff’s account, a pickup truck towing a pressure-cleaning trailer was traveling northbound on South Beach Road and had begun slowing to turn into a driveway. The driver checked his mirror and saw a dark-colored Range Rover closing on him at high speed. He attempted to move toward the edge of the road, but the two-lane residential street offered no shoulder. The Range Rover swerved at the last moment, clipped the rear of the trailer, and rolled onto the driver’s side door.
Woods crawled out through the passenger door before law enforcement arrived. He was alone in the vehicle. Investigators found no medication or drugs inside the Range Rover. Budensiek noted that oncoming traffic could have made the outcome significantly worse.
When DUI investigators arrived, they observed what the sheriff described as signs of impairment. Woods appeared lethargic and mentioned the surgeries and injuries he had undergone in recent months. He complied with a roadside breathalyzer, registering a 0.00 reading. Officers did not suspect alcohol. When asked to provide a urine sample at the jail, Woods refused, which formed the basis for the refusal charge. Budensiek said investigators will likely never be able to determine with certainty what substance, if any, Woods was impaired by at the time of the crash.
The sheriff addressed questions about preferential treatment directly, saying the office would ensure Woods was kept safe and out of general population while in custody, but that the law applied to him the same as anyone else.
A difficult week takes a harder turn
The arrest came three days after Woods made his return to competitive golf at the TGL Finals on Tuesday, his first appearance since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. He had spent the intervening period recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon sustained in March 2025 and a lumbar disc replacement surgery performed in October. His Jupiter Links Golf Club did not win the TGL title, but his presence on the competitive stage had been welcomed by the golf world as a sign of continued forward progress.
The question hanging over his return had been whether he would compete in the Masters, which begins April 9. President Donald Trump told Fox News on Thursday, before the crash, that Woods would attend but would not play. Trump, upon learning of the crash on Friday, expressed personal concern for Woods, whom he described as a close friend.
A pattern the sport has seen before
Today’s arrest is the second time Woods has faced DUI charges in Florida. In 2017, he was stopped in Palm Beach County and found to be disoriented at the wheel. No alcohol was detected then either. He attributed that incident to a reaction to prescription medication, pleaded guilty to reckless driving, and completed a diversion program.
In 2021, a single-vehicle rollover crash in Los Angeles left him with severe fractures to his right leg and ankle requiring emergency surgery. Investigators determined he had been traveling well above the speed limit. He returned to tournament golf roughly 14 months after that crash.
Woods has now played in 11 tournaments across the past five seasons, completing only four of them.
