Tiger Woods was arrested on Friday, March 27, in Florida on charges of driving under the influence following a two-car crash. Fortunately, neither Woods nor the other driver involved suffered any injuries. With the Masters just two weeks away, the situation adds uncertainty around his participation, and now golf analyst Rex Hoggard has shed light on what the 15-time major champion could be facing next on the legal side of things.

According to golf journalist Rex Hoggard, the legal path forward may not be as dire as it may look. He spoke with Gus Benitez, a Florida attorney who handles these types of cases. “First and foremost, he pointed out, because no one was injured in this, it did not reach a certain threshold. So that certainly is going to help out Tiger Woods legally going forward,” Hoggard said.

Benitez also noted that Woods’ 2017 DUI charge did not result in a conviction since he pleaded down to reckless driving. That matters. According to Benitez, Woods would likely face a six-month to one-year license suspension, 50 hours of community service, a fine between $500 and $1,000, and mandatory DUI driving school. A court appearance could come as early as Saturday morning.

The legal outlook may carry some relief, but the broader picture does not. Woods has played 11 tournaments since the 2021 crash, finishing within 16 shots of the winner in four of his 72-hole events. He debated whether his body could handle the Masters on April 9. And this crash might not make things easy for him.

Notably, it’s not the first time the crash has happened, but the consequences could have been serious this time. Earlier incidents did not involve others directly. However, now? It involved a truck driver, too, and things could have gotten worse.

The crash happened near Woods’ $54M Jupiter Island mansion on South Beach Road before 2 p.m. As per reports, the driver of a pressure-cleaning trailer saw Woods’ Land Rover speeding toward a driveway as he turned. The Land Rover passed the truck, swerved, and hit the trailer’s back. The collision rolled the car onto its driver’s side.

Although the 50-year-old crawled out of the passenger door, he was lucky, as neither driver was hurt.

Misdemeanor DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test were charged against Woods. He had triple-zero breathalyzer readings. Though no medication was found in the vehicle, investigators believe medication caused the impairment.

This is not the first time Woods has found himself at a crash scene.

His SUV crashed down a hillside in Rolling Hills Estates near Los Angeles in February 2021 at 84–87 mph in a 45-mph zone. To get him out, first responders had to pry open the windshield. He spent three months at home in a hospital-style bed because he hurt his legs several times.

Before that, in 2009, he was cited for careless driving after crashing near his Florida home. Then came the 2017 DUI arrest, where police found him asleep behind the wheel. He admitted to mixing painkillers and checked himself into a clinic shortly after. Then, he also faced almost similar charges, like DUI and driving school, that Hoggard was talking about.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek put it plainly: “Had somebody been moving in the opposite direction, we would not be having a conversation saying there were no injuries. This could have been a lot worse.”

Not the first time golf has seen such incidents!

From Dustin Johnson to Tiger Woods: Same situation, different stakes

Dustin Johnson was arrested for DUI on March 30, 2009, in Surfside Beach, South Carolina. He was 24 years old and just starting to make a name for himself on tour. His breathalyzer reading was 0.16, which is twice the legal limit. He later admitted to driving carelessly, paid a $445 fine, and the DUI charge was dropped in February 2011.

Johnson said he was sorry, called it a mistake in judgment, and moved on. He went on to win a U.S. Open, a Masters, and 24 PGA Tour events. The lowered charge meant that there was no DUI conviction on record, which is exactly what Tiger Woods may be hoping for in his case.

On the other hand, Steven Bowditch’s situation was worse. In 2017, Steven Bowditch was arrested in Arizona for extreme DUI. Reports said that his blood alcohol level was very high, and this happened when his career was already going downhill. Bowditch never got that momentum back, unlike Johnson. The arrest didn’t help, but the career was already falling apart before it.

It’s important to note the differences between all three cases. Johnson was young, doing well, and had a lot of time ahead of him. Before the event made things worse, Bowditch was already having a hard time. Woods is in a more complicated situation: he’s 50 years old, has physical limitations, and now has a third off-course incident that the sport can’t easily ignore.