Tiger Woods receives five-year driving ban in Florida plea deal over March crash

Court hearing and plea terms

Tiger Woods appeared in a Martin County, Florida courtroom on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, to enter a plea deal resolving charges from a traffic incident earlier in the year. Dressed in a dark suit and tie, the 50-year-old arrived at the Martin County Courthouse in Stuart in the passenger seat of an SUV alongside his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump. Judge Darren Steele accepted the change of plea from not guilty to guilty on charges of reckless driving and careless driving. The agreement resulted in the dismissal of driving under the influence charges and avoided potential jail time. Under the terms, Steele ordered two five-year driving suspensions to run concurrently, revoking driving privileges until 2031, alongside a $1,500 fine. Woods has 30 days to appeal the decision.

During the 8:30 a.m. hearing, Steele delivered a clear warning regarding the absolute nature of the driving prohibition.

There are no exceptions. If you were to drive for any reason at all, you would go immediately back to jail.

Details of the March rollover

The legal proceedings originated on 27 March 2026, when Woods crashed his Land Rover on a two-lane road near his Jupiter Island residence in Florida. While traveling at high speed, Woods struck the rear trailer of a truck that had slowed in front of him, causing his vehicle to flip onto its side. Woods was forced to climb out through the passenger door, but neither he nor the other driver suffered injuries in the collision. Woods told responding police officers that he had looked down at his mobile phone and was switching radio stations, failing to observe the vehicle ahead.

Medical records and rehabilitation

Responding law enforcement officers noted signs of physical impairment at the crash scene, describing Woods as lethargic and slow, with profuse sweating, bloodshot eyes, and dilated pupils. Although Woods registered a negative result on a breathalyzer test, he refused to submit to a urine test. Officers subsequently discovered two hydrocodone painkiller pills in his pocket during his arrest. In May 2026, Steele granted a prosecutorial request to subpoena prescription records covering the period from the beginning of 2026 to the date of the crash. A subsequent ruling in July 2026 granted prosecutors access to hospital records generated during his post-accident medical examination. Following the collision, Woods stepped away from professional golf and spent several months receiving treatment at a specialized rehabilitation facility in Switzerland, returning to the United States in June 2026.

Career context and physical setbacks

The case adds to a long series of physical and driving-related incidents for Woods, who previously completed community service following a 2017 driving citation and suffered severe open fractures to his tibia and fibula in a 2021 car crash in Los Angeles. Over his career, Woods has undergone seven back operations, more than 20 leg surgeries, and a 2025 procedure for a ruptured Achilles tendon. He has not played in top-tier competition since July 2024, though he appeared publicly at the Travelers Championship in June 2026. Across his professional career, Woods has captured 15 major championships, trailing Jack Nicklaus at 18, and won 82 PGA Tour tournaments, tying the record held by Sam Snead.