Tiger Woods accepted a reduced reckless-driving charge stemming from a March rollover crash near his Florida home, receiving a five-year driver’s license suspension after initially facing an allegation of driving under the influence.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Tiger Woods pleaded no contest Wednesday to reckless driving and refusing to submit to testing, resolving charges stemming from a March rollover crash on Jupiter Island, Florida, in which authorities initially accused the golf star of driving under the influence.
Woods, 50, appeared in a Martin County courtroom and accepted the reduced reckless-driving charge. The judge ordered his driver’s license suspended for five years.
He also entered a no-contest plea to refusing to submit to testing and was ordered to pay court costs, according to court records.
A no-contest plea does not amount to an admission of guilt. Instead, it means a defendant declines to contest the charge, and the plea is treated as a conviction within the criminal justice system.
Woods spoke little during the proceeding.
Before the hearing began, he sat at the defense table and occasionally looked back toward the courtroom gallery. He arrived at the courthouse accompanied by his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, the former daughter-in-law of President Donald Trump.
Trump sat behind Woods throughout the hearing.
Woods departed the courthouse afterward without speaking to reporters.
The case originated with a crash in March near Woods’ home on Jupiter Island, where authorities said his sport utility vehicle struck a truck before rolling onto its side along a beachside residential road.
According to a sheriff’s report, deputies who responded to the crash found two pain pills in Woods’ pocket and observed signs they believed indicated impairment.
Woods submitted to a Breathalyzer test, which was negative for alcohol, but refused to provide a urine sample.
He had previously pleaded not guilty to the original DUI charge.
Neither Woods nor the person inside the other vehicle suffered injuries in the collision, officials said.
A police report estimated that Woods’ Land Rover caused approximately $5,000 in damage to the truck.
Woods told a deputy after the crash that he had been looking down at his phone and adjusting the radio station when his vehicle struck the truck.
The March incident added to a series of crashes and health problems that have complicated the later years of one of golf’s most prominent careers.
Woods has been involved in four vehicle crashes over the years and has undergone multiple surgeries involving his back and knees. His career has also been affected by his dependence on pain medication.
Following a widely publicized crash in 2009, Woods took a leave of absence from professional golf.
He again stepped away from tournament competition after the March crash and has not returned to competitive play.
Court records show that Woods subsequently left the United States to receive treatment at an inpatient facility.
His first public appearance following his return from treatment came June 23, when he participated in an announcement detailing the PGA Tour’s plans to restructure its schedule beginning in 2028.
Woods did not answer questions during that appearance.
Despite his arrest and absence from tournament competition, Woods remained chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee.
Wednesday’s plea closes the criminal case without a trial on the original DUI allegation.
The reckless-driving disposition carries a substantially different legal outcome from the initial charge, although Woods will be unable to legally drive for five years as a result of the court-ordered suspension.
His future in tournament golf remains uncertain.
Woods has not returned to competition since stepping away following the March crash, leaving his latest comeback unresolved as he continues to deal with the consequences of the collision, his treatment and a lengthy history of injuries that have repeatedly interrupted his career.
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