Tiger Woods had glassy eyes and opioid pills in his pocket when he was arrested by Florida police following a automotive crash on Friday, and told investigators with the Martin County Sheriff’s office he was distracted by his phone when the crash occurred, in accordance with an incident report.
The golf star said he was looking down at his cellphone and changing the radio station, and didn’t notice that the truck in front of him had slowed down, the report said. He crossed lanes in an effort to overtake the vehicle and his Land Rover clipped the rear of the trailer attached to the truck, causing his automotive to roll onto its side, police said.
The truck Woods hit was turning right into a driveway not removed from where he lives on Jupiter Island, in accordance with the report.
The motive force of the truck, who has been identified as 43-year-old Jeromy Bullard, said he noticed a automotive approaching him at “high speeds” as he was manoeuvring onto the drive, it added.
The truck had about US$5,000 in damage to the rear-left fender and wheel of the trailer, the incident report says.
Woods, 50, was arrested on the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence of an unknown substance and was described by police as “lethargic” after crawling out of the passenger door of his automotive.
Woods’ eyes were “bloodshot and glassy,” and his pupils were “extremely dilated,” the report said. Police stated that he was “sweating profusely” in an air-conditioned vehicle and “extremely alert” during their investigation.
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The report also noted that Woods stumbled during a sobriety test, where he was described as “limping and stumbling to the appropriate,” and as moving his head back and forth after being told to maintain it straight.
He told the officer executing the sector checks that he had seven back surgeries and greater than 20 leg surgeries, and that his ankle tightens up when he walks.
Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., on Friday, March 27, 2026.
AP Photo/Jason Oteri
Woods informed officers he had not been drinking alcohol, but that he takes a “few” prescription pills, which he had consumed earlier within the day, in accordance with the report.
He advised that he takes medication for hypertension and cholesterol, in addition to ibuprofen and Vicodin. Woods had hiccups during the whole investigation, the report noted.
Two white pills, determined by police to be hydrocodone — an opioid prescribed to treat chronic pain — were found inside his left pocket, in accordance with the report.
Woods later submitted to a breath test on the jail but refused to do a urine test, authorities said. He was seen on video leaving the jail late Friday night.
Deputies said Friday they believed Woods was impaired by “some kind” of medication or drug on the time of the crash, but was cleared for driving inebriated. There have been no drugs or medication present in his vehicle.
In an announcement posted to social media Tuesday evening, Woods said he knows and understands the seriousness of the situation. He said he’s stepping away to hunt treatment and concentrate on his health.
“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger and more focused place,” he said.
The golfer was previously injured in a 2021 crash in Rolling Hills Estates in Southern California.
He was driving at twice the speed limit in a 45-mile-per-hour (74 kilometres per hour) zone when he lost control of his SUV and struck a tree, flipping the automotive onto its side.
Woods seriously injured his right leg in that crash and underwent multiple surgeries.
The golf star has played 11 tournaments since that 2021 crash, not ending inside 16 shots of the winner on any of the 4 occasions he accomplished 72 holes.
He was also arrested on a DUI charge in 2017 when South Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of his automotive that was parked awkwardly with damage to the driving force’s side. Woods said he had taken a nasty mixture of painkillers. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
— With files from The Associated Press and Alessia Maratta
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