DeSantis Clarifies If Tiger Woods’ Driving Ban Covers Golf Carts

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has weighed in on whether Tiger Woods can get behind the wheel of a golf cart while serving a five-year ban from driving.

Woods, the 50-year-old golf icon, pleaded no contest on Wednesday to reckless driving and refusing to submit to a lawful test, after reaching an agreement with prosecutors following his DUI arrest.

The 15-time major champion had initially entered a not guilty plea after the March incident, in which he flipped his SUV on Jupiter Island. He returned to a Florida courthouse on Wednesday to formally change that plea.

Woods had first been charged with driving under the influence, but under the plea deal he accepted the reduced charge of reckless driving. The agreement also means his driver’s license will be suspended for five years.

The suspension quickly prompted questions from golf fans about whether the ban could affect Woods on the course, with some wondering if it might also prevent him from operating a golf cart during play.

DeSantis moved to shut down that speculation, writing on X: “Tiger should be able to drive a golf cart on the golf course.”

Woods has increasingly relied on golf carts while on the course recreationally in recent years as he continues to struggle with the aftermath of the horrific injuries he suffered in his 2021 car crash and recent back and Achilles surgeries. 

Woods was found at the scene of the crash in Jupiter, Florida with two opioid tablets in his pocket, on March 27.

He has since spent time in rehab in Switzerland but had not been seen publicly since arriving back in America until last month. 

According to police, Woods was driving at a high speed along a beachside road when his Land Rover clipped a tractor-trailer truck and rolled onto its side, causing about $5,000 worth of damage to the other vehicle.

He was able to crawl out of the car without any injuries before later admitting to officers he was looking at his phone and changing the radio at the time of the collision.

A Breathalyzer test did not reveal any alcohol in Woods’s system, but he refused a urine test, according to police.

The Sheriff’s report obtained by Our News Outlet said deputies found opioids in his pocket and he showed signs of impairment.

A previous hearing was held on August 4, following a July ruling that allowed prosecutors to obtain Woods’ hospital records that were connected to the crash.

Martin County circuit court judge Darren Steele approved an agreement between the State Attorney’s Office and Woods’ legal team that allowed prosecutors to request records from the hospital that treated the PGA legend following his crash.

Back in May, Steele approved a similar agreement granting prosecutors access to Woods’ prescription medication records from his Palm Beach pharmacy between January 1 and his March crash.

Prosecutors and Woods’s attorney have agreed to a protective order that limits the release of any hospital or prescription records to the State Attorney’s Office, law enforcement, state experts and the defense.

Woods was closing in on a return to golf and was widely expected to compete at The Masters in the days before the crash.

He hasn’t competed since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland and has since undergone surgery to repair a torn Achilles as well as a seventh back procedure.

Woods’ legal problems have since been put into perspective by Vanessa’s cancer diagnosis. She revealed her bout with an unspecified form of breast cancer back in May.

The March crash marked the fourth major driving-related incident of Woods’s adult life.

Five years earlier, when Woods rolled another SUV down a steep embankment in California, he did not face any accusations of driving under the influence. Instead, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department claimed Woods was driving at around 80mph, nearly twice the legal limit, at the time of the crash.

Witnesses told TMZ that Woods appeared agitated and impatient while leaving a golf tournament parking lot in the moments before the crash.

Woods was never charged in 2021, but he wasn’t so lucky in 2017, when he was found by Jupiter police about 15 miles from his home. Officers said they found him unconscious in his Mercedes-Benz, which was parked awkwardly on the roadside at around 3am.

Upon closer inspection, they noticed damage to his vehicle.

Woods didn’t have any alcohol in his system, but later tests found the active ingredient for marijuana, two painkillers – Vicodin and Dilaudid – the sleep drug Ambien and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.

He later claimed he had been self-medicating for pain caused by his fourth back surgery and insomnia. Woods did not specifically address the marijuana issue and he wasn’t found with the drug in his possession.

Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving and received a year of probation, a $250 fine and was ordered to undergo 50 hours of community service. He was also banned from drinking alcohol during the probation.

In July 2017, Woods completed a private program to address his dependency on painkillers.

‘I will continue to tackle this going forward with my doctors, family and friends,’ he tweeted at the time. ‘I am so very thankful for all of the support I’ve received.’

Woods’ most notorious car crash took place in 2009, when he rammed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant, tree and several hedges near his home.

He was treated for minor injuries and received a ticket for careless driving, but while he thanked his then-wife Elin Nordegren for getting him out of the car, there were lingering doubts about the story. After all, it was only days earlier that the National Enquirer claimed he’d had an affair with Rachel Uchitel, a 9/11 widow and New York nightclub manager.

The alleged details of the November 27, 2009 crash were ultimately included in the best-selling biography by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, titled Tiger Woods.