Tiger Woods arrested for DUI after Land Rover crash, Sheriff says golf legend 'will pay the price'

Golf legend Tiger Woods was arrested on Friday for driving under the influence after his Land Rover overturned on a two-lane road near his Jupiter Island home in Florida. Woods, 50, was taken into custody, and his mugshot has been released by Martin County authorities.

The crash occurred when Woods’ vehicle clipped a truck while attempting to overtake on a residential road, causing the Land Rover to flip before coming to a stop. Woods escaped without injury.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods showed signs of impairment but passed a breathalyser test. “He did exemplify signs of an impairment; he’s not going to be with other inmates that could hurt him or try to capitalise on what he did. He’ll pay the price, but he’s not going to pay the price by getting punished in jail,” Budensiek was quoted as saying by Sportstar. 

Woods was charged with driving under the influence after he refused to take a urine analysis test.

“When it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused, and so he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test in the crash,” Budensiek added.

See Tiger Woods mugshot here

Drug recognition experts at the scene believed Woods was impaired by “some kind of medication or drug,” the sheriff added. Under Florida law, Woods was entitled to refuse the urine test.

“We will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash,” Budensiek told reporters.

Neither Woods nor the other driver was injured in the incident. The sheriff noted the crash “could have been a lot worse” given the narrowness of the road.

Asked about Woods’ speed before the crash, Budensiek said, “The answer is I can’t. But I can tell you this — it’s a 30-mile-an-hour speed limit. When I show you the photos, they kind of speak for themselves…you can see that he slid for a decent space before he came to a stop.”