Tiger Woods Steps Away From Golf to Seek Treatment After DUI Arrest, Rollover Crash
Tiger Woods announced last week that he is stepping away “for a period of time” to seek treatment following a rollover crash last week, after which the 15-time major golf champion was found with two hydrocodone pills in his left pant pocket.
Woods was subsequently charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test and has entered a plea of not guilty.
A judge has since permitted Woods to leave the United States to seek treatment at an international inpatient facility, approving the motion following a teleconference between Woods’ attorney and the state attorney’s office.
Woods’ legal team argued the relocation was a matter of medical necessity, citing an “urgent need for a level of care that cannot safely or effectively be done within the United States” given the repeated compromise of his privacy.
In a statement posted to social media, Woods wrote that he is “committed to taking the time needed to return to a healthier, stronger and more focused place, both personally and professionally,” and asked for privacy for his family and loved ones.
The crash and arrest mark the latest chapter in a long and painful saga of personal struggles for golf’s greatest champion. Woods was arrested for driving under the influence in 2017, a stop that revealed multiple substances in his system. In 2021, he was involved in a single-car rollover in Southern California that nearly cost him his leg.
Prior to the crash, Woods had been ramping up his rehabilitation from October back surgery in hopes of competing at Augusta National this week. Those plans are now on hold indefinitely.
The 2026 Masters will be the first Masters without both Woods and Phil Mickelson since 1994. Augusta National released a brief statement expressing full support for the golfer, noting that while he would not be present, “his presence will be felt here in Augusta.”
The PGA Tour also issued a statement, saying: “Tiger Woods is a legend of our sport whose impact extends far beyond his achievements on the course. But above all else, Tiger is a person, and our focus is on his health and well-being.”
As Augusta plays its first round without him in years, Woods remains the tournament’s towering ghost—a reminder of both what greatness looks like and how fragile it can be.
