Tiger Woods hasn’t had a personal driver in years. Now Florida has made sure of it. A Martin County judge suspended his license for five years on September 2, closing out a long-standing DUI case that started with a rollover crash back in March. The ruling sent the golf world into overdrive, though most fans seemed relieved the case was finally closed. The same relief showed up on the Fore Play Golf podcast, where Kevin Kisner, Frankie Borelli, and Sam “Riggs” Bozoian weighed in. They landed on one shared feeling: Woods has had enough of courtrooms, and it’s time to leave the lawsuits behind.
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On Wednesday’s Fore Play episode, Kisner, Frankie, and Riggs unpacked Woods’ suspension. As reported previously, Tiger Woods pleaded no contest to reckless driving and refusal to submit to a lawful test, resulting in a five-year driving license suspension and $1,500 in fines. PGA Tour player Kevin Kisner needed a second to process the suspension length. He has been Woods’ TGL teammate at Jupiter Links and has traced the saga more closely than most players. He called the March arrest “very disturbing” during NBC’s Houston Open broadcast.
“Five years?” Kisner said in surprise. “I didn’t even know that was a thing, though. I always thought it was like a year. I’d never heard of five years.”
Kisner’s surprise makes sense: under Florida Statute 316.192, a first conviction involves:
1. Up to 90 days’ jail time;
2. Up to 6 months’ probation;
3. Up to a $500 fine;
4. 4 points added to your license;
5. Possibly mandatory driver improvement school.
While a one-year suspension is unusual for a first-time reckless driving offense, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles can impose it if your accumulated points cross specific thresholds:
1. 12 points in 12 months: Triggers a 30-day suspension.
2. 18 points in 18 months: Triggers a 3-month suspension.
3. 24 points in 36 months: Triggers a 1-year suspension.
Judge Darren Steele imposed an extended driving ban on September 2, 2026, following an amended reckless driving conviction tied to a March rollover crash in Martin County. The heightened penalty resulted from state prosecutors leveraging the driver’s prior 2017 Palm Beach County DUI arrest to classify the conviction as a second offense.
While some view the punishment as harsh, others hope Woods can finally move past the legal battles. Foreplay podcast member Frankie weighed in on the emotions.
“I want to see him walking into trophy ceremonies, Butler Cabin, the Masters. Like, I want to see him walking onto tee boxes, not walking into court to get pleadings. Enough is enough. Walk onto greens after you’ve nipped a wedge and make the putt. That’s what we want. That’s what we demand.”
Frankie’s sentiment echoes the golf world: fans want Woods back on the course, not in court. The March DUI case, for instance, added more frustration to their expectations.
Woods was pulled over after his Land Rover rolled on Jupiter Island; he told officers he’d been looking at his phone. When the police asked him to take a breathalyzer, it showed no alcohol, but Woods refused a urine test.
Officers found hydrocodone in his pocket. Woods admitted taking pills and was charged with DUI, property damage, and refusal to submit to a test. He entered the court pleading not guilty days later and filed a petition for outpatient treatment abroad, which the judge granted. However, as the court granted access to his pharmaceutical prescriptions, Woods eventually took a different route. His attorney, Douglas Duncan, and his legal team moved for a change of plea this week, accepting reduced charges.
During the hearing in Florida, the judge gave Woods a clear warning: “If you drive for any reason at all, you will be going back to jail.” Woods can drive one vehicle, though, per Florida’s rules: a golf cart.
He pleaded guilty to reckless driving after a 2017 DUI arrest in the same Florida county, when police found him asleep behind the wheel with prescription drugs in his system.
Once again in 2021, he survived a high-speed rollover crash in Rancho Palos Verdes that shattered bones in his legs. Off the course, his ex-girlfriend Erica Herman filed a $30 million lawsuit in 2022, alleging he broke a housing promise, plus a separate suit contesting their NDA, both of which she eventually dropped.
Layered on top of seven back injuries since 2014, the legal noise has tracked almost exactly with Woods’ disappearance from the competition. He skipped the 2026 Masters for treatment and hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since 2024. It’s perhaps one of the major reasons why fans and Fore Play hosts want the chapter closed as soon as possible.
Kisner’s hope is simple: Woods can now focus on his comeback.