New details of DUI crash released

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office released additional details about Tiger Woods’ recent arrest for DUI on Tuesday morning, providing a glimpse into Woods’ explanation of the collision and how officers observed him that afternoon.

According to a probable cause affidavit, which GOLF.com obtained, Woods said he was coming from his nearby home, looking down at his phone and changing the radio station at the time of the accident. He didn’t notice the pickup truck ahead of him slowing to turn into a driveway. Woods crossed a double-solid (no passing) line in order to overtake the pickup truck and the trailer it was pulling, clipping the back of the trailer, flipping his car onto the driver side and skidding to a halt. 

After investigating the crash, Martin County Sheriff Deputy Tatiana Levenar observed Woods to be “sweating profusely,” and thought he was “lethargic and slow,” he was alert throughout the investigation. Levenar stated that Woods walked with a limp but also stumbled. He explained to Levenar that he has had seven back surgeries and “over twenty operations” on his leg, which was covered in a compression sleeve. Upon search, officers found two white pills in Woods’ left pant pocket, which were marked as Hydrocodone, an opioid commonly used for pain treatment.

Woods declared he had not consumed any alcohol, nor any illegal substances, but admitted that he takes “a few” types of medication and had taken prescribed medicine that morning. Multiple medicines were redacted from the report. He was observed as “talkative” and had hiccups throughout.

Levenar put Woods through numerous field sobriety tests, which the affidavit detailed. One of those tests was a Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, a test where Woods was asked to follow the tip of a pen with his eyes as it shifted position in front of his face. Sheriff Deputy Tatiana Levenar stated that Woods’ eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and that his pupils were “extremely dilated” and that there was “lack of smooth pursuit” in both eyes. Woods moved his head side to side, the report states, despite being instructed to keep his head straight multiple times. 

He performed “Finger to nose,” “Palm Pat” and “Hand coordination” tests, with varying levels of success and failure, after which Levenar reported that she believed Woods’ “normal faculties were impaired and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle.” Shortly after 3 p.m. local time, Woods was placed under arrest.

That afternoon, Woods submitted to a breathalyzer test, which twice came back with zero signs of alcohol. He refused to submit to a urine test, which is his right but incurs a misdemeanor charge in the state of Florida. He was also transported at some point to a local ER clinic where he refused all medical treatment. He then spent at least eight hours in jail before being released on bond around midnight. He was charged with “Driving Under the Influence with Property Damage and Refusal to Submit to Blood Alcohol Level test” and his court date is set for April 23 at 8:30 a.m.

Woods has a history of traffic accidents. In May 2017, he was arrested for DUI in the early morning in Jupiter, Fla., when local authorities found him asleep at the wheel. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department released a report that marked five different drugs in Woods’ system, but zero trace of alcohol.

In February 2021, Woods was involved in an accident in southern California around 7 a.m. but showed “no signs of impairment,” according to local authorities. He suffered serious lower-body injuries that day, which has made it difficult for him to compete in the years since.