Florida [US], March 28 (ANI): 15-time major champion Golf icon Tiger Woods was arrested on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) following a car crash not too far away from his residence on Florida's Jupiter Island, as per Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek.

As per ESPN, John said that Woods was driving a Land Rover northbound on South Beach Road at a high speed and tried to pass a truck hauling a pressure cleaner, which had slowed down to turn into a driveway. However, the golf legend's SUV swerved, managed to avoid the truck, but clipped the back of the trailer. The car flipped and slid down the road. However, Woods came out of the passenger's window safe.

The sheriff also revealed that Woods and the other driver did not face any injuries during the incident, which occured around 2 PM ET. The four-time PGA Championship holder was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanour DUI with property damage and for refusing to submit to a lawful test. The 50-year old arrived at jail at 3 PM following his arrest and will be staying in custody for eight hours as per the laws in Florida.

Martin County Sheriff's Department DUI investigators present on the scene determined the golf legend to be showing signs of impairment.

'They did several tests on him,' Budensiek said as quoted by ESPN. 'Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,' he added.

'There were no signs of alcohol when Woods' breathalyser test was taken, and he refused to submit a urinalysis test for the presence of other drugs in his body. The sheriff said that the golfer was 'cooperative, but not trying to incriminate himself'.

'So, he was careful in what he said and did not say,' he added.

DUI investigators present at the scene believed that Woods was not impaired by alcohol, with the sheriff Budensiek saying, 'They believe it was some type of medication or drug.' However, it is important to note that no drugs/alcohol were found in Woods' SUV.

The sheriff also did not know the speed at which Wood was driving, saying that the photos 'speak for themselves'

'But I can tell you this: It's a 30-mile-an-hour speed limit. And when I show you the photos, they kind of speak for themselves. You can see where he clipped the back of the trailer. You can see where he rolled. And then as he decelerates, sliding down on the driver's door of the vehicle. You can see that he slid for a pretty decent space before he came to a stop,' said the sheriff Budensiek.

President Donald Trump, who says that he is 'close friends' with the golf legend, reacted to the news while speaking to reporters on Friday, saying, 'I feel so badly. He has got some difficulty. There was an accident, and that is all I know. A very close friend of mine.

'He is an amazing person, amazing man. But some difficulty,' he added, according to ABC News as quoted by ESPN.

However, this is not the first time Woods has faced DUI suspicion as back in May 2017, he was arrested at Jupiter Island by the cops on being found asleep at the wheel of running car, which had two flat tires and damaged bumbers. Back then, the golfer had admitted to having taken a bad mix of painkillers and pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

In February 2021, Woods faced leg injuries in a car crash outside Los Angeles when his car rolled several times, leaving him trapped inside. He had to undergo surgery for 'open fractures' to his lower right leg and had a rod placed in his tibia. During an emergency surgery, screws and pins were inserted in his foot and ankle. Woods faced three weeks of hospitalisation following the surgery.

Los Angeles sheriff Alex Villanueva had said that time that the golf icon was driving at speed of between 84-87 kmph in an area where the speed limits were of 45 kmph. At the 2021 Hero World Challenge in Bahamas, he went on to say, 'I am lucky to be alive and also have a limb.'

He also said that it was 50-50 as to whether a part of his right leg could have been amputated and had at least one more surgery related to injuries sustained in the crash in April 2023.

Woods had been spending the past several months recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon and a back surgery in October, and featured in Tuesday's TGL finals, his first competition in over a year, where his team Jupiter Links GC was defeated by Los Angeles Golf Club.

He had also been thinking over a return to the PGA Tour scene, at the Masters event to be held at Augusta National Golf Club, which marked the first major competition of the season, starting from April 9. His last PGA Tour appearance came during July 2024, when he missed the cut at the Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. He had last featured in four rounds in a PGA Tour event back at the 2024 Masters.

While Woods has not competed much over the last six years or so, the 50-year-old remains an active part of the PGA Tour as the chairman of the future competition committee. He is also a player director on the PGA Tour policy board and the PGA Tour Enterprises, the tour's for-profit entity. (ANI)