JUPITER ISLAND, FL. (THECOUNT) — Golf legend Tiger Woods was arrested Friday afternoon and charged with driving under the influence after his Land Rover SUV rolled onto its side on Beach Road in Jupiter Island, Martin County, following a collision with a pressure cleaner truck — just days after the 15-time major champion made his return to competitive golf for the first time in nearly nine months.
No injuries were reported. Woods, 50, crawled out through the passenger door of the overturned vehicle and was taken into custody by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. He is being held at the Martin County Jail for a minimum of eight hours per standard DUI protocol.
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The crash occurred just before 2:00 p.m. on South Beach Road, a narrow two-lane corridor that runs along Jupiter Island near Woods’ private residence. According to Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek, a pressure cleaner truck pulling a small trailer was traveling northbound and slowing to turn into a driveway when its driver looked in his mirror and saw a dark Land Rover overtaking him at high speed. The truck driver attempted to edge off the road, but the two-lane road offered no shoulder. The Land Rover swerved at the last moment, clipped the back of the trailer, listed to one side and rolled onto the driver’s door. Woods climbed out through the passenger window.
Jupiter Island Police Department responded first and called in the Martin County Sheriff’s Office to take over. MCSO DUI investigators determined that Woods displayed signs of impairment at the scene. “Our DUI investigators came to the scene here. And Mr. Woods did exemplify the signs of impairment,” Sheriff Budensiek said at a Friday evening press conference. Woods submitted to a breathalyzer test, which registered 0.00% — ruling out alcohol entirely. Investigators believe the impairment may be related to prescription medication. When asked to submit to a urinalysis test at the jail, Woods refused. That refusal forms the basis of the third charge against him.
Woods now faces three misdemeanor charges: driving under the influence, property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test. Sheriff Budensiek said Woods was cooperative but careful with his words. “He was careful in what he said and didn’t say,” Budensiek told reporters. When asked whether Woods would receive preferential treatment, Budensiek was direct: “It doesn’t matter who you are. If you break the law, we are going to follow the law.”
The crash is the latest in a series of driving incidents involving the golf icon. In May 2017, Woods was found asleep behind the wheel in Palm Beach County and arrested on suspicion of DUI. He attributed the incident to an adverse reaction to prescription medications, pleaded guilty to reckless driving, paid a $250 fine and completed DUI school. In February 2021, Woods suffered catastrophic injuries — a shattered ankle and two leg fractures — when his Genesis SUV rolled in a high-speed single-vehicle crash in Rolling Hills Estates, California. Investigators found no signs of impairment in that incident. Friday’s crash marks his first DUI-related arrest since 2017.
The timing could not be more consequential for Woods professionally. Just three days ago — Tuesday, March 24 — Woods made his competitive golf return at the TGL indoor golf finals at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, playing for his Jupiter Links Golf Club team. The appearance marked his first competitive action since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, a stretch that included a ruptured Achilles in March 2025 and a lumbar disc replacement surgery in October 2025. The Masters Tournament at Augusta National begins April 9. Prior to Friday’s crash, Woods had said publicly he wants to play but acknowledged his body’s limitations. President Donald Trump, arriving in Miami Friday, expressed concern for his “good friend” and said he “feels so badly,” adding that he had already indicated before the crash that he believed Woods would attend the Masters but not compete.
Woods is currently in a relationship with Vanessa Trump, the president’s former daughter-in-law. No statement has been issued by Woods’ representatives as of publication time.
Jupiter Island is an exclusive barrier island community in Martin County on Florida’s Treasure Coast, located approximately 15 miles north of Palm Beach Gardens and roughly 90 miles north of Miami. Beach Road is a residential corridor that winds through the island’s private estates and offers little room for passing traffic — making the stretch particularly unforgiving at high speed. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is the lead investigating agency. The investigation remains ongoing.
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