Golf Mar 29, 2026

Tiger Woods Q&A: What we know about car crash and 15-time major champion's hopes of playing at The Masters

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By Admin
Sports Journalist
Tiger Woods Q&A: What we know about car crash and 15-time major champion's hopes of playing at The Masters

We look at the key questions following Tiger Woods’ car crash in Florida on Friday afternoon.

Woods' vehicle rolled over after clipping a truck on Jupiter Island in Florida just before 2pm local time on Friday afternoon, with the 15-time major champion walking away unhurt after crawling out of the passenger door.

No one was injured in the incident.

Sheriff John Budensiek said the crash occurred after Woods apparently attempted to overtake the trailer in front at a "high rate of speed".

The vehicle tipped on to its side and then "slid for a pretty decent space before he came to a stop."

Woods was described as "lethargic" by officers with police believing he was "impaired on medication".

He took a breathalyser test at the scene which returned a negative finding but refused to submit a urine sample.

Budensiek added that police at the scene and at the jail where Woods was taken were "really not suspicious of alcohol being involved".

This was Woods' fourth car crash or vehicle incident since 2009, with a previous one in 2021 lucky not to cost him his life.

The 50-year-old was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

There were also further charges of property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

He spent eight hours in a Florida jail before being released on bail.

After playing in the TGL finals for Jupiter Links on Tuesday night - his first action since teeing it up in the same competition 13 months earlier - Woods said he was "trying" to get himself in a position to play at The Masters, the first men's major of the season, at Augusta National from April 9.

Woods, who ruptured his Achilles in 2025 and has also undergone two back surgeries, said: "[My body] doesn't recover like it did when it was 24, 25. It doesn't mean I'm not trying. I've been trying for a while. I want to play.

"I love the tournament. I've loved being there since I was 19 years old. It's meant a lot to me and my family over the years.

"I don't know [if I'll play]. We'll see how it goes. I'll be practising, playing at home this week and keep trying to make progress."

Woods has won The Masters five times, most recently in 2019.

Your Site Golf pundit Andrew Coltart said of Woods: "If he feels okay body-wise then he may want to attend The Masters. If he feels like he can swing a club and walk, I'm sure he will be there.

"They do things very differently at Augusta - there will be strict rules regarding questioning and they will be able to concentrate on golf rather than what has happened."

Your Site News reporter Jamie Weir doubts Tiger will take part in The Masters, saying: "I think the odds were already stacked against him.

"He is 50 years of age now and we haven't seen him on the golf course since The Open Championship in July 2024.

"He took his first meaningful swings in TGL and that raised the idea that just maybe we would see him tee it up at Augusta National. But I still think that is probably highly unlikely given he has had zero competitive reps."

Weir added to Your Site News: "I think the biggest fallout, once again, is reputational damage. This is hugely embarrassing when we thought this was all behind him.

"To be charged with driving under the influence, to spend eight hours in a Florida jail, to refuse a urine test.

"This is the third time he has been involved in a car crash and this has echoes of 2017.

"People will probably say, 'Tiger, surely there is enough money in the bank now where you can afford to employ a driver to take you from place to place'.

"Surely he shouldn't be putting himself and other road users, other pedestrians at risk every time he gets behind the wheel of a car?"

When asked by Your Site News whether Woods' legacy will be tarnished by the crash, Coltart said: "If you drill down into his golf, that legacy will always be untarnished but from a human perspective it is another one of these incidents. Like a lot of incredible geniuses, they are flawed in certain ways."

Woods crashed into a fire hydrant, a tree and hedges outside his home in 2009, an incident that sparked admissions of serial infidelity.

His seven-year marriage ended and he lost a number of sponsorship deals.

Then in 2017, weeks after spinal surgery, Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence when he was found asleep at the wheel.

He subsequently pleaded guilty to reckless driving and it later emerged that he had five prescription drugs in his system at the time.

Woods' most serious crash came in February 2021 with his car rolling over in Los Angeles after he lost control at high speed on a winding stretch of road.

Fire crews had to use the 'jaws of life' cutting equipment to remove him from the wreckage.

Woods was lucky to be alive and suffered extensive leg and ankle injuries that continue to hamper him to this day. He has had multiple surgeries.

Tiger did not play competitive golf for 15 months after that crash and remains on a limited schedule, most recently playing a tournament at the 2024 Open Championship in Troon.

He has completed just four 72-hole events in the last five years and only featured in 11 official tournaments during that period.

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