Tiger Woods broke his near-silence on social media on Tuesday, five months after his arrest on charges of driving under the influence in Florida, to weigh in on sweeping changes to the PGA Tour's postseason format.
The 50-year-old golfer was detained on March 27 after flipping his SUV while trying to overtake a truck and trailer at high speed on Jupiter Island, a billionaire enclave in Martin County, Florida.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour announced it would overhaul its playoff structure from 2028, ending the season with a Tour Championship played over two weeks at different courses and culminating in match play, rather than the current 72 holes of stroke play among the top 30 players.
Woods, a 15-time major champion, welcomed the shift in one of the rare public statements he has made since his arrest. "The conclusion of the season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there," he wrote. "Today's announcement is a result of the hard work and passion of our players. Excited to usher in a new era of match play on the @PGATOUR."
How the new postseason will work
Starting in 2028, the BMW Championship, the only postseason event that rotates venues and will be held that year at Olympia Fields near Chicago, will feature the leading 90 players on the points list. Points earned across the season will carry over, with the leader crowned season champion and bonus money distributed accordingly.
The top 32 players after the BMW Championship will be split into eight groups of four-player pools. The leading two from each pool advance to the final event, a four-day match-play tournament. Players eliminated earlier will still play through Sunday to settle final standings.
The BMW Championship week will hand out three trophies: the BMW Championship itself, the Western Golf Association trophy and the PGA Tour Championship Series Finale. The second week of the postseason will carry no trophy at all, with the only prize being one of the 16 spots that advance to the last event.
Woods' rare social media activity
Woods last posted on July 17, when he complimented fellow professional Tommy Fleetwood's performance at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Since breaking his silence on the DUI arrest on March 31, he has shared only two other messages, one marking Memorial Day and another also addressing changes to the PGA Tour's format.
Court case moves toward September hearing
Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test after police found two opioid painkillers in his pocket. He sought professional help in Zurich, Switzerland, afterwards, briefly returning to Florida after his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, revealed her breast cancer diagnosis.
Nearly five months on from the crash, it has been confirmed that Woods will make his first courtroom appearance over the matter on September 8. The date had reportedly been postponed several times as prosecutors continued their investigation in South Florida.
Woods will be represented by attorney Douglas Duncan. He has waived his arraignment and requested a jury trial.
His most recent hearing was held on August 4, following a July ruling that allowed prosecutors to obtain his hospital records connected to the crash. Martin County circuit court judge Darren Steele approved an agreement between the State Attorney's Office and Woods' legal team granting that access.
In May, Steele had approved a similar agreement giving prosecutors access to Woods' prescription medication records from his Palm Beach pharmacy covering the period between January 1 and the March crash. Prosecutors and Woods' attorney have since agreed to a protective order limiting release of the hospital and prescription records to the State Attorney's Office, law enforcement, state experts and the defense.
Delayed comeback and history of driving incidents
Woods had been closing in on a return to golf and was widely expected to compete at The Masters in the days before the crash. He has not competed since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland, and has since undergone surgery to repair a torn Achilles as well as a seventh back procedure.
The latest incident marks the fourth time Woods has been in trouble while behind the wheel of a car. He was arrested for another DUI in 2017 after police found him slumped in his car in Florida with five drugs in his system, including two painkillers.
In 2021, Woods was involved in a crash in California that shattered his right leg after he was trapped under the vehicle. He needed multiple surgeries to recover and has struggled with plantar fasciitis ever since. He also crashed into a fire hydrant in November 2009 while trying to flee his Florida home after his then-wife, Elin Nordegren, discovered his infidelities.
