Tiger Woods is preparing to withdraw his not guilty plea in the DUI case connected to his March rollover crash in Florida, Our News Outlet has learned.
Woods, 50, had entered not guilty pleas on March 31 to two misdemeanor counts. Court records now show the golf star is due back before a judge on Wednesday for a change-of-plea hearing.
It was not immediately clear whether the 15-time major winner has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. Our News Outlet has contacted both Woods’ attorney and the Martin County prosecutor’s office for comment.
The case stems from allegations of property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test after police said they discovered two opioid tablets in Woods’ pocket following the crash.
Woods has since undergone rehab treatment in Switzerland and had largely remained out of public view after returning to the United States, until he resurfaced last month.
Police said Woods was traveling at high speed on a beachside road in Jupiter Island, Florida, when his Land Rover clipped a tractor-trailer and overturned onto its side. The collision caused an estimated $5,000 in damage to the other vehicle, according to authorities.
Court documents filed Tuesday show Tiger Woods intends to change his not guilty plea in a DUI case tied to a rollover crash in Florida
The golf great’s Land Rover flipped onto its side during the crash in Jupiter
In April Our News Outlet broke the news that the golfer would leaving the country ‘imminently’
Woods is pictured in the back of a police cruiser after being arrested on suspicion of DUI
He was able to crawl out of the vehicle 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’ 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.
His most recent 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’ 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 his girlfriend Vanessa Trump’s cancer diagnosis. She revealed her bout with an unspecified form of breast cancer back in May.
Vanessa Trump, girlfriend of Tiger Woods, is seen with him and daughter Kai back in March
Tiger Woods is seen in a police booking photo after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) May 29, 2017 in Jupiter, Florida. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving
Tiger’s March crash marked the fourth major driving-related incident of Woods’ 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.
What’s more, eyewitnesses 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 pulled over 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.
The good news was that 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’d 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 any of 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.
Perhaps one silver lining came in July of 2017, when Woods completed a private program to address his dependency on pain killers.
‘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 November of 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 November 27, 2009 were ultimately included in the best-selling biography from Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, titled: Tiger Woods.
