Tiger Woods pleads no contest to reckless driving charge in Florida DUI case

Tiger Woods pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge in his Florida DUI case, months after pleading not guilty to two misdemeanor charges. 

The golf legend agreed to a five-year suspension of his driver's license and a $1,000 fine. He was seen smiling during the hearing at Martin County Courthouse on Wednesday. 

Woods previously pled not guilty to charges of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. 

A plea of no contest means a defendant refuses to admit or deny guilt, but accepts punishment. 

Woods was in a rollover crash on Florida's Jupiter Island in March. Woods' Land Rover clipped a truck and rolled onto its side in the incident, officials said. An arrest report said he was traveling at high speeds on a beachside residential road with a 30 mph speed limit. The report also said Woods caused $5,000 in damage to the truck he hit. 

Woods was uninjured and told a deputy he had been looking down at his phone and changing the radio station at the time of the collision, according to the report. Deputies at the scene said Woods appeared impaired. While he agreed to a Breathalyzer test that registered zero alcohol, he refused to submit to a urine test. He also told police he had taken "a few" prescription medications, according to the arrest report, and two pills later identified as the opioid hydrocodone were found in his pants pocket. 

State attorney for Florida's 19th Judicial Circuit Thomas Bakkedahl said Wednesday, "at the end of the day, this case turned out to be a particularly difficult DUI to prove." 

Proving impairment from drugs, not alcohol, is difficult, Bakkedahl said. The lack of a urine test meant officials "don't know what exactly was in his bloodstream" at the time of the accident, Bakkedahl said. Woods' defense would have also been able to provide explanations for behaviors like difficulty walking, Bakkedahl said, citing past injuries Woods had sustained. While Woods admitted to taking painkillers, records showed they were prescribed medications and that the golfer was taking them as instructed, Bakkedahl said. 

Two forensic toxicologists who were asked to review the case said they believed there was "insufficient proof" of Woods' impairment, Bakkedahl said. The toxicologists said Woods likely had a tolerance to hydrocodone, so he was not impaired by its use, leaving prosecutors unable to prove a DUI, Bakkedahl said. 

These combined factors meant prosecutors could not meet the burden of proof for a DUI, Bakkedahl said. That led to the decision to drop the DUI charge and replace it with a charge of reckless driving, which Woods pleaded no contest to. 

Woods, 50, is considered one of the most influential figures in golf. In 1997, he became the first person of Black heritage to win the Masters. But while he has broken records, his career has been marred by car accidents, a pain pill dependence and multiple back and knee surgeries. 

In 2021, Woods survived a crash in Los Angeles that injured his right leg so badly that he said doctors considered amputating the limb. In 2017, he was arrested on a DUI charge when Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of his car. After the incident, he said he had taken a bad mix of painkillers. In 2009, his SUV plowed into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home near Orlando, Florida.

Woods said after the incident that he was "stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment" and "work toward lasting recovery." He made his first public appearance after treatment in June, when he introduced the PGA Tour's plans to revamp its schedule for 2028. 

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Woods pleaded no contest.