Woods changed his plea to avoid jail time, though he will not escape penalty



After initially entering a plea of not guilty following his arrest for DUI back in March, Tiger Woods changed his tune Wednesday morning during a court appearance in Martin County, Florida. Woods amended his plea to guilty, accepting a reduced charge of reckless driving and refusal to submit to a lawful test as part of a deal that allows him to avoid jail time. However, Woods will pay a small fine and have his driver's license suspended for five years.

Woods has largely stayed out of the spotlight since his arrest, announcing in early April that he was skipping the Masters, instead seeking treatment outside the United States. He ultimately did not play during the PGA Tour season.

Woods' arrest came after a rollover car crash near his home on Jupiter Island, where it was determined by officers on the scene that the 15-time major champion showed signs of impairment. He submitted to a Breathalyzer test and blew a 0.0; however, through observation, officers determined he was impaired by a form of medication or drug.

Refusing to take a urinalysis test, Woods was booked on two misdemeanor charges of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. He initially entered a not-guilty plea to the charges and subsequently filed a petition seeking treatment outside the U.S., which a judge granted.

Five months later, Woods has agreed to this plea deal. Should he violate the agreement, he will face jail time.

The March crash was Woods' fourth known car accident since 2009.

That November, he was cited for careless driving after crashing an SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree outside his then-home in Windermere. Eight years later, in May 2017, he pled guilty to reckless driving after being arrested on a DUI charge in Jupiter when police found him asleep behind the wheel of a parked vehicle. That plea included a DUI diversion program and 50 hours of community service.

In February 2021, Woods suffered severe leg injuries after being involved in a rollover car crash in Southern California. Authorities observed no evidence of impairment or intoxication. He subsequently underwent multiple surgeries and took nearly 10 months to recover before returning to golf.

Woods did not report any physical injuries after the March crash, but the 50-year-old lost another season of his career due to his time spent away from the game seeking treatment.

Prior to the crash, he was ramping up his workouts and golf swing from his latest back surgery in an attempt at yet another comeback to the PGA Tour. Woods had recently competed in the TGL Finals and was considering playing in the 2026 Masters.

Instead, Woods sat out the PGA Tour season with his only work in the world of golf coming behind the scenes as part of a PGA Tour committee tasked with designing the new two-series structure that will begin in 2028 and new two-week Tour Championship that will serve as the circuit's reformatted postseason.

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