Tiger Woods has pleaded no contest to reckless driving and refusing to submit to a lawful test after striking a deal with prosecutors following his arrest for driving under the influence.
The 15-time major golf champion, widely considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, arrived at Martin County Court in Florida shortly after 8 a.m. on Wednesday with his girlfriend Vanessa Trump on his arm. He wore a suit and looked stoic as he waded through photographers outside the building.
Inside the courtroom moments later, Woods stood before Circuit Court Judge Darren Steele and changed his plea. He was originally charged with driving under the influence but accepted a deal for the lesser charge of reckless driving. As part of the agreement, his license will be suspended for five years.
Woods was found at the scene of his car crash in Jupiter on March 27 with two opioid tablets in his pocket. He has since spent time in rehab in Switzerland and had not been seen publicly since returning to America until last month.
March crash in Jupiter
According to police, Woods was driving his Land Rover at a high speed along a beachside road when it clipped a tractor trailer truck and rolled onto its side. The crash caused about $5,000 worth of damage to the other vehicle.
Woods was able to crawl out of the car without any injuries. He later admitted to officers that he was looking at his phone and changing the radio at the time of the collision.
A breathalyzer test did not detect any alcohol in his system, but police said he refused a urine test. A sheriff's report obtained by the Daily Mail said deputies found opioids in his pocket and that he showed signs of impairment.
Medical records agreement
A previous hearing was held on August 4 following a July ruling that allowed prosecutors to obtain hospital records connected to the crash.
Judge Steele approved an agreement between Woods's legal team and the State Attorney's Office that allowed prosecutors to request records from the hospital that treated the golfer after the accident.
In May, the judge approved a similar agreement granting prosecutors access to Woods's prescription medication records from a Palm Beach pharmacy, covering the period between January 1 and the March crash.
Woods's attorney and prosecutors have agreed to a protective order that limits the release of any prescription or hospital records to the State Attorney's Office, the defense, law enforcement and state experts.
Absence from professional golf
Woods was closing in on a return to professional golf and was widely expected to compete at The Masters tournament in the days before the crash. The Masters, held annually at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf.
He has not competed since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland. He has since undergone a seventh back procedure and surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.
His girlfriend Vanessa Trump revealed in May that she has been dealing with an unspecified form of breast cancer.
Previous driving incidents
The March crash marked the fourth major driving related incident of Woods's adult life.
Five years earlier, Woods rolled another SUV down a steep embankment in California. He did not face any accusations of driving under the influence. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said he was driving at about 80 mph, nearly twice the legal speed limit, at the time of the crash.
Witnesses told TMZ that Woods appeared impatient and agitated while leaving a golf tournament parking lot in the moments before that crash.
Woods was never charged over the California crash in 2021, but in 2017 he was found by Jupiter police about 15 miles from his home. Officers said they found him unconscious in his Mercedes Benz, which was awkwardly parked on the roadside at about 3 a.m.
Upon closer inspection, police noticed damage to his vehicle.
Woods did not have any alcohol in his system, but later tests found the sleep drug Ambien, the anti anxiety drug Xanax, two painkillers called Vicodin and Dilaudid, and the active ingredient for marijuana.
He later said he had been self medicating for insomnia and pain caused by his fourth back surgery. He did not specifically address the marijuana and was not found with the drug in his possession.
Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving and received a year of probation and a $250 fine. He was ordered to undergo 50 hours of community service and was banned from drinking alcohol during his probation.
In July 2017, Woods completed a private program to address his dependency on painkillers.
"I will continue to tackle this going forward with my doctors, family and friends," he tweeted at the time. "I am so very thankful for all of the support I've received."
Woods's most notorious car crash took place in November 2009, when he rammed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant, a tree and several hedges near his home.
He was treated for minor injuries and received a ticket for careless driving. While he thanked his then wife Elin Nordegren for getting him out of the car, there were lingering doubts about the story. It was only days earlier that the National Enquirer claimed he had an affair with Rachel Uchitel, a New York nightclub manager and 9/11 widow.
The alleged details of the 2009 crash were ultimately included in the bestselling biography titled Tiger Woods, by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian.
