MARTIN COUNTY, Florida, Sept 2 (Reuters) – Tiger Woods will have his license suspended for five years after reaching a plea deal in his impaired-driving case on Wednesday that will allow the decorated golfer to avoid jail time.
The 15-times major champion, who initially pleaded not guilty, entered a no-contest motion on all charges and was adjudicated guilty at a change-of-plea hearing he attended at Martin County Courthouse.
Judge Darren Steele said two five-year driver’s license suspensions will run at the same time, one on a reckless driving charge and one on a careless driving citation.
“There are no exceptions. If you were to drive for any reason at all, you would go immediately back to jail,” Steele told Woods.
The 50-year-old Woods, who was also handed about $1,500 in fines as part of the plea deal, has 30 days to appeal the ruling which dropped the more serious offense of driving under the influence.
WOODS ATTENDS HEARING WITH GIRLFRIEND VANESSA TRUMP
Woods, dressed in a dark suit and tie, arrived at the Martin County Courthouse seated in the front passenger seat of a black SUV and did not answer questions from reporters as he and girlfriend Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., walked in and out of the building for the hearing.
State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl told reporters he was comfortable with the outcome of the case and outlined the prosecution’s challenges in proving Woods, who has a documented pharmacological tolerance after multiple back and knee surgeries, was impaired by hydrocodone.
“Both toxicologists reviewing the information and evidence provided to them were of the opinion that there was insufficient proof,” Bakkedahl said. “I don’t make the facts; I accept them as they are brought to me of his impairment.”
Bakkedahl, who defended the handling of the case amid criticism that Woods could get favourable treatment given his fame, also had a message for the golfer.
“If I can send any message to Mr. Woods, it’s simply this: of all the people in the world who should not get behind the wheel of the car, it’s the gentleman who is one of the most recognizable faces on the planet,” said Bakkedahl.
“Somebody will see him, whether it’s in Georgia or Nevada or New York or where have you. He’s not to drive a car.”
WOODS SPENT TIME OUTSIDE US TO SEEK TREATMENT
Woods, regarded as the greatest golfer of his generation and one of the most famous athletes on the planet, initially pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence charges stemming from his rollover crash in March.
At the time, Woods told authorities he was looking down at his phone and did not realise the truck in front of him had slowed down before his crash. No one was injured in the crash.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Woods had two hydrocodone pills in his pocket and officers observed him to be lethargic, slow, “sweating profusely” with eyes that were bloodshot, glassy and pupils that were “extremely dilated”.
Steele had granted Woods’ request to travel outside the United States to receive treatment in a controlled environment and, in a March statement, the golfer said he was stepping away to seek treatment and focus on his health.
In May, the judge granted prosecutors’ request to subpoena Woods’ prescription drug records, covering a period from the start of 2026 to March 27, the day Woods’ Land Rover rolled over on a two-lane road near his Jupiter Island home in Florida.
In July, the judge granted a similar request that allowed prosecutors to obtain hospital records connected to the golfer’s medical treatment following his crash.
Woods, who has not played in an official event since the 2024 British Open, has won 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus with 18. He also has won 82 PGA Tour events, a record he shares with Sam Snead.
He spent a record 683 weeks as world number one and is the only player to have held all four major titles at the same time, a feat known as the “Tiger Slam”.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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