Tiger Woods
American golfer
- Entries
- 17
- On the record
- 10
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Sep 2, 2026
The record
Tiger Woods has been arrested twice, both times in Florida on suspicion of driving under the influence. In May 2017 Jupiter police found his Mercedes stopped partly in a bike lane with two flat tires; he blew 0.000 twice on a breath test and said an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications was to blame. That October he pleaded guilty to reckless driving in a deal that dropped the DUI charge. On March 27, 2026, Martin County deputies arrested him after his Land Rover clipped a trailer and rolled on Jupiter Island. A breath test showed no alcohol, he refused a urine test, and he was charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
The 2026 case ended on September 2, 2026. Woods, who had pleaded not guilty, pleaded no contest to reckless driving, reduced from the DUI count, and to the refusal charge, and was found guilty of careless driving. Judge Darren Steele suspended his driver's license for five years, and he agreed to pay $1,500 in fines. State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl said two toxicologists had found insufficient proof of impairment. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but it is treated as a conviction.
Two other crashes ended without charges. After a February 2021 rollover on Hawthorne Boulevard outside Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department found his SUV had been going 84 to 87 mph at the first impact on a road with a 45 mph limit, but issued no citation because no officer or independent witness saw the crash. In November 2009 the Florida Highway Patrol cited him for careless driving after he hit a fire hydrant and a tree outside his home; within two weeks he had admitted transgressions on his website and, citing his infidelity, taken an indefinite leave from golf.
His standing in the sport survived those episodes. The PGA Tour credits him with 82 wins since he turned professional in 1996. On May 6, 2019, weeks after the Masters gave him his first major title in 11 years, Donald Trump presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the White House Rose Garden, calling it the nation's highest civilian honor; Woods noted he was the fourth golfer to receive it.
Questions people ask
Why was Tiger Woods arrested?
He was arrested on March 27, 2026 after a rollover crash near his Jupiter Island home. Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said his breath test showed no alcohol but he refused a urinalysis, and he was charged with misdemeanor DUI with property damage and refusing a lawful test; he had also been arrested in Jupiter in May 2017. source
What charges did Tiger Woods face, and how did the case end?
On September 2, 2026 he pleaded no contest in Martin County Circuit Court to a reduced charge of reckless driving and to refusal to submit to a lawful test, and was found guilty of careless driving. His driver's license was suspended for five years and he agreed to pay $1,500 in fines. source
What was the Tiger Woods controversy in 2009?
After reports of affairs following a November 2009 car crash, he announced on December 11, 2009 that he was taking an indefinite leave from golf, saying he was deeply aware of the hurt his infidelity had caused and was profoundly sorry. source
Was Tiger Woods charged over the 2021 crash?
No. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said no citation was issued and there were no signs of impairment; it found the cause was a speed unsafe for the road conditions, with the vehicle's data recorder showing 84 to 87 mph at the first impact. source
Roles and honours on the record
Every entry, newest first
- Admitted
Posted statement on his website admitting infidelity, per Associated Press column. Biggest cheating scandals ranked: Clinton's $90,686 fine tops
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 2009-11-27 Reported His SUV hit a fire hydrant and a tree outside his Florida home at 2:25 a.m. The Florida Highway Patrol cited him for careless driving with a $164 citation and did not charge him criminally. ESPN report (Dec. 30, 2009)
- 2009-12-02 Admitted In a statement on his website he wrote, "I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart," asked for privacy, and called stories that physical violence played a role in the car accident false. Tiger Woods, statement on TigerWoods.com (archived copy)
- 2009-12-11 Admitted He announced an indefinite leave from golf, saying he was deeply aware of the hurt his infidelity had caused and was profoundly sorry. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said the tour looked forward to his return when he decided the time was right. ESPN report (Dec. 11, 2009)
- 2009-12-13 Reported Accenture ended its roughly six-year sponsorship, saying he was "no longer the right representative" for its advertising. NBC News report
- 2017-05-29 Filed Jupiter police found his Mercedes stopped in the right lane, partly in a bike lane, with fresh damage and two flat tires, and an officer reported he fell asleep during the stop. He gave two breath samples of 0.000 and agreed to a urine test; the report records an arrest for DUI. Jupiter Police Department incident report 17-002626 (copy published by ESPN)
- 2017-05-29 Admitted "I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved," he said in a statement, blaming "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications" and saying he took full responsibility for his actions. CBS News / Associated Press report
- 2017-10-27 Admitted He pleaded guilty to reckless driving in Palm Beach County and entered a diversion program, with prosecutors dropping the DUI charge; the deal carried a year of probation and a $250 fine plus court costs. A toxicology report had found the active ingredient in marijuana, Vicodin, Dilaudid, Ambien and Xanax in his system, but no alcohol. Associated Press report on ESPN
- 2019-05-06 Official Donald Trump presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the White House Rose Garden, weeks after his 2019 Masters win, his first major in 11 years. Woods said he was the fourth golfer to receive it, after Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Charlie Sifford. White House, remarks at the presentation of the Medal of Freedom (archived)
- 2021-02-23 Official The sheriff's traffic collision report records a one-vehicle rollover on Hawthorne Boulevard at 7:10 a.m., with Woods driving a 2021 Genesis GV80 owned by Hyundai Motor America on a road with a 45 mph speed limit. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, traffic collision report
- 2021-04-07 Official Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the primary cause was a speed unsafe for the road conditions and failure to negotiate a curve; the event data recorder showed 84 to 87 mph at the first impact and 75 mph when the SUV hit a tree. No citation was issued because no officer or independent witness saw the crash, and investigators found no signs of impairment. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department release (archived copy)
- 2026-03-27 Filed Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods tried to pass a truck towing a pressure-cleaning trailer on South Beach Road, Jupiter Island, clipped the trailer and rolled his Land Rover; no one was hurt. His breath test showed no alcohol, he refused a urinalysis, and he was charged with misdemeanor DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, then released on bail. ESPN report
- 2026-03-31 Filed The arrest affidavit, obtained by ESPN, says he told a deputy he was looking down at his phone and changing the radio station, and that a deputy found two hydrocodone pills in his pocket. In a court filing he waived arraignment, pleaded not guilty and demanded a jury trial. ESPN report
- 2026-07-02 Official Judge Darren Steele approved an agreement letting prosecutors request records from the hospital he was taken to after the crash, under a protective order the defense requested; in May he had approved a similar agreement covering pharmacy records. ESPN report
- 2026-09-01 Filed Court documents showed he planned to change his not guilty plea, with a plea conference set for the next morning in Martin County circuit court. ESPN report
- 2026-09-02 Ruled He pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of reckless driving and to refusal to submit to a lawful test, and was found guilty of careless driving, a moving violation. Judge Steele suspended his driver's license for five years, and he agreed to pay $1,500 in fines. ESPN report
- 2026-09-02 Reported State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl said two toxicologists found insufficient proof of impairment and that pharmacy records showed a lawful prescription. Woods's manager, Mark Steinberg, said he was "not absolved of accountability" and had surrendered his license for five years. Associated Press report via PBS NewsHour
Documents
- Jupiter Police Department incident report 17-002626 (May 29, 2017; copy published by ESPN)
- Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department traffic collision report (Feb. 23, 2021)
- Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department release on the cause of the 2021 crash (Apr. 7, 2021, archived)
- White House remarks at the Presidential Medal of Freedom presentation (May 6, 2019, archived)
- Tiger Woods statement on TigerWoods.com (Dec. 2, 2009, archived)
- PGA Tour player profile
- ESPN report on the March 27, 2026 arrest
- ESPN report on the September 2, 2026 plea and license suspension
- Associated Press report on the September 2, 2026 plea (PBS NewsHour)