Tiger Woods DUI Update: Affidavit Details 'Severe Impairment' and Prescription Drugs Found at Crash Scene

Tiger Woods, the golf legend, was arrested for DUI on 27 March 2026 after his Land Rover flipped on a narrow Florida road near his Jupiter Island home. A sheriff's affidavit now reveals he had two hydrocodone pills in his pocket and showed stark signs of impairment.

Woods had been released from jail hours earlier on £200 bail. The full affidavit offers a detailed account of the incident on that quiet stretch of road. The 50-year-old father of two told deputies he had taken 'a few' prescription medications that morning. His breath test registered zero for alcohol. He insisted no alcohol was involved. Yet he refused a urine test outright. That decision triggered an additional charge under Florida's strict implied consent laws.

Affidavit Exposes Tiger Woods DUI Impairment

The Martin County Sheriff's report sets out the scene. Officers arrived to find Woods sitting in his wrecked SUV, sweating heavily even with the air conditioning running. His pupils were strikingly dilated. He kept hiccupping as deputies questioned him.

In his left trouser pocket, they discovered two loose white hydrocodone pills, right there at the crash site. Those are strong opioid painkillers, typically prescribed for intense post-surgical pain. Woods' medical history is marked by repeated operations on his back and legs.

Field sobriety tests proved challenging. Woods limped noticeably, pointing to prior back and leg surgeries as the reason. Still, deputies described him as 'lethargic and slow', with 'severe signs of impairment'. Bloodshot, glassy eyes matched his mugshot image circulating online. Asked about the crash, he explained he had been distracted. He was adjusting his phone and switching the radio station. His attention strayed from the road ahead.

The other driver, in a pickup towing a pressure-cleaner trailer, gave a matching account. He glanced in his mirror and saw the dark Land Rover closing fast on the tight two-lane road. With no shoulder available, he edged over as best he could. Woods overtook at the last second, swerved to miss, but clipped the trailer's back end. The impact flipped the Land Rover onto its side. Trailer repairs are estimated at $5,000. Remarkably, no one suffered serious injuries.

Sheriff John Budensiek addressed reporters soon after: 'Mr Woods did exemplify signs of impairment... we will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on.' Without the urine sample, the precise cause remains elusive.

Tiger Woods DUI Mirrors Long Crash History

Woods' driving record provides context for this case. In 2009, on Thanksgiving morning, his SUV ploughed into a fire hydrant and a tree outside his then-home in Windermere, Florida. It happened just days before revelations of his extramarital affairs shattered his public image. Authorities issued a careless driving citation. Woods entered rehab amid the fallout.

In May 2017, there was another early-hours scare in Jupiter Island. Florida troopers found him slumped over the wheel of his Mercedes at 3am, hazards flashing, engine idling. Toxicology later confirmed Vicodin, the sedative Ambien, THC from cannabis, anti-anxiety Xanax, and the opioid Dilaudid in his system.

He avoided jail with a plea to reckless driving. More treatment programmes followed as he publicly owned the lapse.

No incident tops the horror of February 2021 near Los Angeles. Fresh from playing the Genesis Invitational, Woods veered off Hawthorne Boulevard above 80mph.

His Genesis GV80 SUV smashed through a central divider, rolled over twice, and hurled debris 250 feet. He endured open fractures to the tibia and fibula, plus extensive ankle damage. Surgeons fused bones and grafted tissue. Recovery stretched over years, with a 2025 spinal fusion and Achilles tendon work keeping him in the fight.

Legal experts now watch Martin County prosecutors closely. Florida DUI cases with refused tests often hinge on field observations and crash dynamics. The affidavit's evidence appears solid: impairment indicators, prescription pills, and a high-speed rollover. Woods has stayed silent publicly so far.