Court documents filed on Tuesday show that Tiger Woods plans to change his not guilty plea in a DUI case linked to a rollover crash in Florida in March. The move comes after agreements approved by a judge allowed prosecutors to review medical records tied to the crash and arrest, as well as Woods’ prescription medication records from a Palm Beach pharmacy.
Authorities said Woods’ Land Rover clipped a truck and rolled onto its side on Jupiter Island, after which he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. A Breathalyser test showed no signs of alcohol, but Woods refused a urine test, and a sheriff’s office report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket and that he showed signs of impairment.
Woods had earlier pleaded not guilty in the case in Martin County circuit court, just north of Palm Beach County. According to an incident report, he was travelling at high speed on a beachside residential road on Jupiter Island where the speed limit was 30 mph, or nearly 50 kmph. The report said his Land Rover caused USD 5,000 in damage to the truck. Woods managed to crawl out of the vehicle without injury and told a deputy that he was looking down at his phone and changing the radio station when he hit the truck.
Court records also show that Woods travelled outside the United States for treatment at an inpatient treatment facility. In July, Judge Darren Steele approved an agreement allowing prosecutors to review medical records related to the crash and arrest. In May, the judge had signed a similar agreement giving prosecutors access to all of Woods’ prescription medication records at a Palm Beach pharmacy from the start of the year through the end of March.
Woods, 50, is one of the most influential figures in golf and among the most recognisable athletes in the world. The first person of Black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he built a career marked by records that have set him apart in the sport. But his career has also been disrupted by multiple back and knee surgeries, car crashes and pain pill dependence.
The March crash was the fourth involving Woods since 2009. In 2021, he survived a crash in Los Angeles that injured his right leg so badly that he said doctors considered amputation. In 2009, his SUV crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree outside his home near Orlando, Florida. He took a break from the golf tour after the 2009 accident and again after the latest crash, and has not yet returned to tournament play.
The case now centres on Woods’ plan to change his plea in the Florida DUI matter, which stems from the March crash and the investigation into his condition, treatment and prescription medication records.
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