Tiger Woods got out of jail and into the passenger seat of a darkish SUV, his face as vacant as his mug shot as he was pushed away to a future once more crammed with so much uncertainty.
The following step legally is facing charges of driving while intoxicated, injury to property and refusal to undergo a urine take a look at, which led to him spending eight hours Friday within the Martin County jail some 15 miles from his residence on Jupiter Island, Florida.
His supervisor at Excel Sports activities, Mark Steinberg, didn’t reply to a request for remark Saturday on Woods’ arrest.
As for golf, this comes at a foul time for the game’s most influential participant.
Woods had mentioned earlier within the week he was making an attempt to get in form for the Masters on April 9-12, although that was trying unlikely. He turned 50 on the finish of final yr. “This physique, it doesn’t get better prefer it did when it was 24, 25,” Woods mentioned earlier this week.
He additionally was days away from a choice on whether or not to be the subsequent U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the 2027 matches in Eire. Two officers from the PGA of America didn’t instantly return cellphone calls from The Related Press in search of remark.
And on April 5, he’s scheduled to be in Augusta, Georgia, with Masters chairman Fred Ridley to have fun a project at “The Patch,” the nickname of a municipal golf course the place Woods’ design staff created a brief course to associate with a serious improve to the general public course.
Woods is also the central determine as chairman of the Future Competitors Committee that’s reshaping the PGA Tour mannequin of tournaments. Tour CEO Brian Rolapp predicted significant progress this summer season.
The PGA Tour declined to touch upon Woods’ arrest.
Now every part is on maintain whereas Woods kinds by way of his second arrest within the final 9 years, and his fourth car crash dating to 2009.
Woods waited till the summer season of 2024 earlier than deciding towards being Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 matches in New York. The Associated Press reported in February the PGA of America had a smooth deadline of the tip of March for him to resolve this time.
The PGA of America already is below scrutiny due to the unruly fan behavior at Bethpage Park final September, and this isn’t a time for an additional misstep. One particular person with information of the method mentioned the PGA of America has a backup plan of 4 potential candidates for the Ryder Cup committee to evaluation if Woods declines — or if the PGA of America strikes on.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek mentioned Woods’ Land Rover was going at a “excessive pace” when it clipped the trailer of a stress cleansing truck and flipped on its aspect. Woods was not harm and climbed out by way of the passenger window. The driving force of the truck was not injured, both.
“Had there been any person transferring in the wrong way, we’d not be having a dialog saying there have been no accidents,” Budensiek mentioned. “This might’ve been quite a bit worse.”
Budensiek mentioned investigators on the scene consider Woods had taken some form of remedy or drug. He described Woods as torpid and mentioned the golfer agreed to a breath take a look at that confirmed “triple zeroes” — no signal of alcohol. By declining the urine take a look at, the sheriff mentioned, officers won’t ever get “definitive outcomes” about what brought on the impairment.
That was according to his 2017 arrest on a DUI charge in Florida, when Woods was discovered asleep behind the wheel of a automotive with the engine working, the proper blinker on, two flat tires and lightweight injury to the motive force’s aspect.
Woods mentioned it was a foul mixture of remedy. Toxicology reports later revealed the lively ingredient for marijuana, two painkillers, a sleep drug and an anti-anxiety drug. There was no alcohol.
The ache remedy has been commonplace fare for golf’s most celebrated — and wounded — participant.
After 4 knee surgical procedures — the final one every week after he received the U.S. Open with shredded knee ligaments and two stress fractures — Woods had 4 again surgical procedures in 4 years (2014 by way of 2017) solely to return to win the Masters in 2019 in considered one of golf’s most astonishing comebacks.
After which got here the most serious crash of all, in February 2021. His SUV was going 84 to 87 mph (135 to 140 kph) in an space with a pace restrict of 45 mph (72 kph) when it veered off a coastal street within the Los Angeles suburbs, rolled down a hill and smacked right into a tree.
He was not cited and Los Angeles authorities didn’t search a warrant for blood samples. The accidents to his proper leg and ankle have been in depth — Woods later mentioned amputation was thought-about — and it was exceptional he even returned to taking part in.
Woods has by no means been the identical as a golfer since that accident. He has performed 11 tournaments within the 5 years since that crash. Of the 4 instances he completed 72 holes, he hasn’t been nearer than 16 photographs of the winner. He shares the PGA Tour’s all-time document with 82 wins.
However he stays an enormous draw. Woods determined to compete Tuesday night in the finals of his indoor TGL league, and viewership spiked to just about 1 million, the second-highest score behind Woods making his TGL debut.
He made his public debut at age 2 on “The Mike Douglas Present” and has been within the highlight ever since, setting information which might be seemingly by no means to be damaged. He stays a central determine in golf to this present day, and the scrutiny is as nice as ever with a lot on his plate.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Doug Ferguson, The Related Press