[Photo: Saul Martinez]
Tiger Woods will have his driver’s licence suspended for five years but avoided jail time after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors stemming from his March car crash and arrest on Jupiter Island in Florida.
Woods, who initially pleaded not guilty, entered a no-contest motion on Wednesday morning (Florida time) to a reduced charge of reckless driving and a charge of refusing to submit to a lawful test. He was also ordered to pay fines. The 15-time major champion appeared at the Martin County courthouse in Stuart, Florida, alongside his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, and attorney Doug Duncan.
Woods was involved in a two-vehicle crash on Jupiter Island in March and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Authorities found two hydrocodone pills in his pocket, an opioid that is usually prescribed for severe or chronic pain. According to the arrest affidavit, Woods told a sheriff’s deputy that he had been looking at his mobile phone and changing the radio station and did not notice that the vehicle ahead of him had slowed. The deputy reported several signs of possible impairment, including profuse sweating, bloodshot and glassy eyes, lethargic movements and persistent hiccups.
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Woods denied consuming alcohol but acknowledged taking prescription medication “earlier in the morning”, telling the deputy, “I take a few.” He also detailed an extensive medical history that includes seven back surgeries and more than 20 operations on his legs, prompting deputies to modify how they administered the field sobriety exercises.
Previously, Woods was arrested in 2017 after police found him asleep behind the wheel, and he was involved in a single-car crash in 2021 that caused severe trauma to his leg.
After his March 2026 arrest, Woods announced that he was stepping away from golf to receive treatment. A judge permitted him to travel to an international facility, and Woods returned in June. He made his first public appearance since the crash later that month at the Travelers Championship, where PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp announced changes to the tour’s competitive structure recommended by the Future Competition Committee, which Woods chairs.
Woods has not played an official event since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. He is scheduled to host the Hero World Challenge in early December.
