In 2017, Jupiter police found Tiger Woods asleep at the wheel, engine running, at 3 a.m. Toxicology confirmed five substances, hydrocodone among them. Woods was charged with DUI, reckless driving, and improper stopping. His attorney, Douglas Duncan, entered a not-guilty plea. The DUI did not hold, but Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving. Despite the 2026 case being different, Woods wants his legal team to be the same.

Four days after crashing his car, on March 31, he pleaded not guilty in Martin County court, waived his arraignment, and requested a jury trial. His arraignment is scheduled for April 23. With just a few days to the trial, Woods has again retained Douglas Duncan, the West Palm Beach attorney. Duncan filed the not-guilty plea and waived Woods’s appearance at pretrial conferences, so Woods was not present in court on Tuesday.

Woods’s 2017 case was one of three high-profile accidents. In 2009, he struck a fire hydrant in a neighbor’s yard in the Isleworth neighborhood in Orlando. In 2021, he shattered his leg after the SUV he was driving left a curvy California road at high speed and rolled down a steep hill. He wasn’t charged in either of those accidents. The recent crash on March 27th occurred just before 2 p.m. on a two-lane residential street near Woods’s home.

A pickup truck with a pressure-cleaning trailer slowed to turn into a driveway. Woods, driving north at high speed, tried to overtake, swerved, and clipped the trailer. His Range Rover rolled onto its side. He exited through the passenger door. The truck had $5,000 in damage, but no injuries were reported.

Deputies found Woods sweating, moving slowly, and with bloodshot eyes. His pupils were dilated after he removed his sunglasses. Woods told investigators he was looking at his phone and adjusting the radio before the crash. The police found two hydrocodone pills in his pocket. He took a breathalyzer, which showed 0.00 on both samples, but refused the urine test. That refusal led to a second DUI charge under Florida’s implied consent law.

He was booked at Martin County Jail, held for eight hours, and released on a $1,000 bond. Both charges are misdemeanors. For DUI with property damage, the penalties include fines up to $2,000, a license suspension ranging from 180 days to one year, and up to nine months in jail.

Refusing to provide a sample brings an automatic one-year license suspension and up to nearly a year in additional jail time. In 2017, Woods entered diversion, served a year of probation, completed 50 hours of community service, and paid a $250 fine.

The entire incident took the golf world aback.

“Very disturbing. He was really working hard on his game, trying to practice and get back in shape. He signed up for the U.S. Senior Open yesterday. He was trying to do anything he could to come back and try to help our TGL team, get ready, and hopefully try to play the Masters. Just a really unfortunate incident.”

Kevin Kisner, Woods’s TGL teammate, shared that reaction during NBC’s broadcast of the Houston Open, as reported by Fried Egg Golf.

Before the crash, Woods was working toward a return at Augusta, but now the focus shifts significantly.

Tiger Woods takes a call about his near future

Tuesday evening, Woods released a statement that he is stepping away for some time to seek treatment, focus on his health, and achieve a lasting recovery. The PGA Tour also released a statement saying that it recognizes Woods’s struggles and his contributions, and it supports him fully.

Before Friday’s crash, Woods had not ruled out playing at Augusta. When asked if he was skipping the 2026 Masters, he denied. His private jet was seen at Augusta Regional Airport 26 days before the first round, and the official Masters app listed him as an active participant for what would have been his 27th start.

As a five-time champion, he has a lifetime exemption and can enter the tournament at the last minute. His arraignment is scheduled for 14 days after the first round begins, and according to Haenel, the legal case will take 6 to 9 months to resolve.

Duncan has represented Woods in a similar case before, but this time, both the facts and the stakes have changed.