Tiger Woods was arrested for DUI after a rollover crash near his home in Florida on Friday, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
According to police officials, just before 2 p.m. ET, Woods’ Range Rover was traveling at a high rate of speed on Beach Road on Jupiter Island when he tried to pass a work truck. Woods’ SUV clipped the back of the truck’s trailer and flipped onto its side.
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The crash took place near 281 Beach Road, about 4 miles north of Woods’ home. Woods was uninjured and was able to climb out of the SUV on his own, according to the sheriff’s office.
Woods, in the estimation of officers on the scene, “did exemplify signs of impairment.”
“The investigation started and initially right off the top, it did appear that the driver of the Land Rover might be impaired,” Marin County Sheriff John Budensiek said. “And at that point, the chief of Jupiter Island Police Department called me from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and asked for our assistance.”
The investigation determined that the pickup truck was attempting to turn into a driveway along Beach Road, and slowed to make the turn. The driver of the pickup truck observed a Range Rover closing at high speed, and attempted to get off the road, but was unable to do so because of the narrowness of the residential street. The Range Rover clipped the back end of the trailer and landed on the driver’s side.
Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., on Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason Oteri)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
“The individual driving that Land Rover was able to crawl out the passenger door of the car and was identified to be Mr. Tiger Woods,” Budensiek said. “Our DUI investigators came to the scene here and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment.”
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Officers were not suspicious of alcohol, but did suspect medications or drugs, and Woods did later take a breathalyzer that returned a 0.00 reading.
Woods was described as “lethargic” on the scene, and attempted to explain the injuries and surgeries he has undergone in recent months. Woods underwent roadside tests, and was subsequently arrested and charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. Woods was transported to the Martin County Jail. He refused a urinalysis test at the jail.
“He cooperated with the breathalyzer, and then the urine he wanted no part of,” Budensiek said.
“He is cooperative, but he was not trying to incriminate himself,” Budensiek said. “So he was careful in what he said and didn’t say.”
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By Florida statute, Woods was required to remain incarcerated in the Martin County jail for at least eight hours after his arrest. He was released around 11 p.m. ET.
Neither Woods nor the driver of the pickup were injured, and police officers did not observe medication in Woods’ vehicle. Woods was alone in his car, and climbed out of the passenger side of the vehicle prior to law enforcement’s arrival.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office did not have exact figures on how fast Woods was going when he overtook the pickup truck, but given that the speed limit in the area is 30 mph, and Woods’ car suffered substantial damage, the speed was significant.
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“We know we arrested a high-profile figure,” Budensiek said. “I’m not trying to dramatize, but it doesn’t matter who you are. If you break the law, we’re going to follow the law. That’s a really easy path to take.”
However, Budensiek added that Woods will be protected while in jail. “As far as being in the jail, we’re going to make sure he’s safe,” he said. “We’re not going to put him in general population. He’s not going to be with other inmates that can hurt him or try to capitalize on what he did. He’ll pay the price, but he’s not going to pay the price by getting punished in jail.”
Budensiek noted that fortunately no cars were on the opposite side of the road from Woods’ wreck. “Had there been somebody moving in the opposite direction, we would not be having a conversation saying there was no injuries,” he said. “This could have been a lot worse.”
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Woods made his return to professional golf on Tuesday as part of the TGL indoor golf final, where his Jupiter Links Golf Club came up short. It was Woods’ first competitive golf since the 2024 Open Championship, after suffering a ruptured Achilles in March 2025 and another surgery for a lumbar disc replacement in October.
Prior to Friday’s accident, the question surrounding Woods as the calendar edges toward April was his status for next month’s Masters. He had not said one way or the other if he will compete.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, President Donald Trump stated that Woods would not play in the Masters, which begins on April 9.
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“I love Tiger, but he won’t be there,” Trump said. “Well, he’ll be there, but he won’t be playing in it.”
When told of the accident on Friday, Trump said, “I feel so badly. … There was an accident and that’s all I know. A very close friend of mine — he’s an amazing person, an amazing man. But some difficulty.”
In 2021, Woods was involved in a single-car rollover crash in Los Angeles, suffering a shattered ankle and two leg fractures in the incident.
He was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence in 2017 during a traffic stop in Florida, during which he appeared disoriented and woozy in police dashcam footage. Woods said the incident was a result of “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medication” and later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and received a year of probation.