Tiger Woods Pleads Not Guilty To His Latest DUI Charge
Tiger Woods is no stranger to doing damage control following a car crash and/or DUI. Following his latest crash and arrest for suspicion of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, Woods pleaded not guilty to all charges this week. Woods told authorities that rather than driving under the influence late last week when he clipped the flatbed ramp of a trailer and rolled his Range Rover SV, he was actually just looking at his phone and changing radio channels.
Despite his decision to plead not guilty to this DUI charge, KTEN News reports, "Golf superstar Tiger Woods said Tuesday he was "stepping away" to seek treatment and focus on his health after his arrest last week in Florida...."
The police report shows that Woods was found with two hydrocodone painkiller pills in his pocket at the scene of the arrest, and deputies noted that he was hiccuping during questioning and continuously moving his head during a sobriety test despite being told several times to keep his head straight.
This is the second consecutive year Woods has missed the Masters tournament
In a twitter post, Woods said that he is "stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health." Associated Press said, "It's the second time Woods has taken a leave following a car crash. In 2009, after his SUV plowed into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home near Orlando, he took a leave of absence to work on being a better person."
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 31, 2026
This also means that Woods will be taking a break from his role as the leader of the PGA Tour's Future Competition Committee. He has not competed in a top-level golf event since the British Open in 2024, due to various medical issues including a ruptured left Achilles tendon in March last year, but prior to his latest accident and arrest, he was "ramping up to return to the PGA Tour after undergoing disc replacement surgery last October "according to pgatour.com.