Tiger Woods Arrested on Jupiter Island After High-Speed Rollover, Martin County Sheriff Says

Tiger Woods was arrested Friday afternoon near his Jupiter Island home after his Land Rover struck a pressure-cleaner trailer and rolled onto its side on South Beach Road, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed at a press conference following the crash.

Woods, 50, faces two misdemeanor charges: DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. He was booked into the Martin County Jail and held for a minimum of eight hours under Florida's mandatory DUI detention law before posting bail Friday night.

The crash occurred just before 2 p.m. at 281 South Beach Road — a two-lane residential road with a posted 30 mph speed limit, according to Budensiek. The sheriff said a pickup truck towing a pressure-cleaning trailer was traveling northbound and had begun pulling into a driveway when the driver spotted Woods' Range Rover closing fast in his mirror.

"He saw it coming, so he tried to edge off the side of the road," Budensiek said. "But this is a small two-lane road, and there was no shoulder to get off the side of the road."

Woods' vehicle clipped the rear of the trailer, causing the Land Rover to roll onto its driver's side. Woods crawled out through the passenger door. Neither he nor the truck's driver was injured. Whether Woods was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash remains unclear, Budensiek said.

Jupiter Island Police officers were first to respond and observed signs of impairment, prompting them to contact the sheriff's office. Martin County DUI investigators arrived and conducted field sobriety testing at the scene.

Woods submitted to a breathalyzer, registering triple zeroes — no detectable alcohol. He refused a urine test. Budensiek said investigators believe the impairment was caused by "some type of medication or drug," but acknowledged that because of the refused urine test, "we will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash." No drugs or medications were found inside the vehicle.

"He's cooperative," Budensiek said, "but he's not trying to incriminate himself."

Budensiek confirmed Woods was separated from the general jail population, citing safety concerns. "He'll pay the price, but he's not going to pay the price by getting punished in jail," the sheriff said.

Woods was not present at first appearance at the Martin County Courthouse Saturday morning According to available information,. His manager at Excel Sports did not respond to requests for comment.

This is Woods' second drug-related DUI arrest in Florida. In May 2017, Palm Beach County deputies found him asleep at the wheel with the engine running. Woods later pleaded guilty to reckless driving, paid a $250 fine, and completed DUI school. He attributed that incident to a bad reaction to prescription painkillers.

Friday's arrest came as Woods was weighing whether he was physically ready to compete in the Masters, beginning April 9, and facing a self-described soft deadline to accept the U.S. Ryder Cup captaincy for the 2027 matches in Ireland. He played in his indoor TGL golf league as recently as Tuesday night.

The state attorney's office for the 19th Judicial Circuit, which covers Martin County, has not announced whether it will pursue prosecution or offer a diversion agreement According to available information,. Martin County Sheriff's Office spokesperson could not be immediately reached for independent comment beyond the recorded press conference.

TC Sentinel is pursuing the official crash report, 911 call recordings, and court docket records through a public records request filed Friday evening with MCSO and the Martin County Clerk of Courts.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.