Tiger Woods is preparing to change his not guilty plea in a Florida DUI case tied to a rollover crash in Florida, according to court filings submitted Tuesday.
The case dates back to March, when officials said Woods’ Land Rover struck a truck and overturned onto its side. The golf icon was arrested afterward and later entered a not guilty plea to a driving under the influence charge in Martin County circuit court, located just north of Palm Beach County.
Woods is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning for a plea conference, according to a hearing notice posted Tuesday. The filing did not disclose further information about what change to the plea is expected.
According to an arrest report, Woods had been driving at a high rate of speed along a beachside residential road on Jupiter Island, where the posted speed limit is 30 mph, when his Land Rover caused about $5,000 in damage to the truck. He was able to crawl out of the vehicle uninjured and told a deputy he had been looking down at his phone and adjusting the radio when the collision occurred.
Deputies who responded to the scene reported that Woods appeared impaired as he answered questions and went through several sobriety tests. Authorities said a Breathalyzer test showed no alcohol in his system, but Woods declined to provide a urine sample.
Woods told police he had taken “a few” prescription medications, the arrest report stated. Investigators also found two pills in his pants pocket that were later identified as hydrocodone.
The report described Woods as “sweating profusely” after the crash, with bloodshot eyes and pupils that were “extremely dilated.”
Court records also indicate that Woods has traveled outside of the United States to receive care at an inpatient treatment facility.
In July, Judge Darren Steele approved an agreement in which prosecutors were allowed to review medical records related to Woods’ crash and arrest. The judge signed off on a similar agreement in May that grants prosecutors access to all prescription medication records for Woods at a Palm Beach pharmacy from the start of the year through the end of March.
Woods, 50, is among the most influential figures in golf and is as recognizable as any athlete in the world. The first person of Black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he has captivated golf fans with records likely never to be broken.
But his career has been derailed by multiple back and knee surgeries, car accidents and pain pill dependence.
Woods has been involved in four crashes over the years. In 2021, he survived a crash in Los Angeles that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation. Woods was also arrested on a DUI charge in 2017 when Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of his car. He said later 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. He took a leave from the golf tour after the 2009 accident and again after the latest crash and has yet to return to tournament play.
Woods made his first public appearance since returning from treatment on June 23 when he introduced the PGA Tour’s plans to revamp its schedule for 2028. Woods remained as chairman of the tour’s Future Competition Committee after his arrest. He did not take questions in that appearance.
