Tiger Woods Reportedly Faces a Five-Year Driving Ban After Reaching a Plea Deal in Florida Court

Tiger Woods received a five-year suspension of his driver's licence in Stuart, Florida, on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, after entering no-contest pleas in a case stemming from his March rollover crash. The 50-year-old, 15-time major champion appeared before Martin County Judge Darren Steele alongside his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, as prosecutors reduced the original driving-under-the-influence charge to reckless driving.

The plea agreement brought the criminal case arising from the 27 March crash near Woods's Jupiter Island home to a close. According to the Associated Press, Woods pleaded no contest to reckless driving and to refusing to submit to testing. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, although it is treated as a conviction in the criminal justice system. Woods had previously pleaded not guilty to the original charges.

Under the agreement, Steele imposed a five-year licence suspension. Reuters reported that two five-year suspensions, one connected with the reckless-driving charge and another with a careless-driving citation, will run concurrently. Woods was also ordered to pay fines and court costs. He has 30 days to appeal the ruling.

Woods did not address reporters as he entered or left the Martin County Courthouse. Reuters reported that Steele warned him there would be no exceptions to the suspension and that driving during the restricted period could result in his return to jail.

Crash Led to DUI Investigation

The case began when Woods's Land Rover struck a truck towing a pressure-cleaning trailer and rolled onto its side on a residential road on Jupiter Island. Neither Woods nor the driver of the other vehicle was injured. A police report estimated damage to the truck at about $5,000 (£3,702.68).

Woods told a deputy that he had been looking down at his phone and changing the radio station and did not realise the vehicle ahead had slowed before the collision, according to the arrest affidavit.

Deputies reported observations that led them to suspect impairment, including bloodshot and glassy eyes, dilated pupils and lethargic movements. The affidavit also said two hydrocodone pills were found in Woods's pocket. Those observations and the presence of prescription medication did not, by themselves, establish that the medication caused the crash or that Woods was unlawfully using it.

A breath test detected no alcohol, but Woods refused to provide a urine sample. Prosecutors later sought access to prescription and hospital records relating to the period around the crash, with the court allowing access as part of the investigation.

The original DUI allegation was ultimately not the charge resolved by the plea agreement. Prosecutors instead reduced the count to reckless driving, making it important to distinguish the allegations made after the crash from the final legal outcome.

Golf Career Remains on Hold

Days after his arrest, Woods announced that he would step away from golf for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on his health. Court records later showed that he had received permission to travel outside the United States for inpatient treatment.

Woods has not returned to tournament golf. His last official PGA Tour appearance was at the 2024 Open Championship, and his playing schedule has already been sharply limited by injuries and multiple operations. He has undergone numerous procedures on his back and legs and has also dealt with a ruptured Achilles tendon, adding to a long series of physical setbacks that have restricted his competitive schedule.

He nevertheless remains one of the sport's most decorated players. Woods has won 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus's 18, and shares the PGA Tour record of 82 victories with Sam Snead.

Vanessa Trump accompanied Woods to Wednesday's hearing and sat behind him in the courtroom. The pair left without speaking to reporters. Her presence was widely documented, but the hearing itself centred on Woods's plea and the legal consequences arising from the March collision.

Wednesday's agreement settles the criminal case from the crash while leaving Woods's competitive future unresolved. For now, the immediate consequence is clear: his driving privileges will remain suspended for five years under the plea agreement, subject to any appeal he may choose to pursue within the permitted period.