Golf legend Tiger Woods pleaded guilty to careless and reckless driving on Wednesday, five months after a rollover crash on Jupiter Island left questions about the superstar’s fitness behind the wheel.

Woods (50) entered the plea in Martin County Circuit Court, bringing an end to criminal proceedings that began when he crashed his Land Rover into a trailer being towed by a pickup truck on 27 March.

“If you were to drive for any reason at all you would go immediately back to jail,” Judge Darren Steele told the golf superstar during a brief hearing at the Martin County Courthouse in Stuart, Florida.

Woods initially faced the more serious offense of driving under the influence, but that was dropped under the terms of a plea agreement in which he agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charges of careless and reckless driving.

In exchange, Woods will have his driver’s licence suspended for five years.

The golfer was initially arrested and charged with misdemeanour DUI after responding officers determined his normal faculties were impaired. Police found two hydrocodone pills on him at the scene.

Woods had pleaded not guilty to the charges on 31 March through his attorney Douglas Duncan, but court documents filed on 1 September indicated he intended to change his plea.

The crash and arrest

According to police reports, Woods told deputies he had been looking at his phone and changing radio channels when he struck the trailer of a vehicle that had slowed in front of him.

Bodycam footage released after the incident showed Woods telling officers he had been “just talking with the President” moments before the crash. When deputies handcuffed him, he asked: “I’m being arrested?”

Woods disclosed to police that he had taken “a few” prescription medications earlier that day. He also revealed he had undergone seven back operations and more than 20 surgeries on his right leg following a separate car crash in California in 2021 that left him with severe injuries.

Officers at the scene concluded he was impaired and arrested him for DUI. When he refused to submit to a urinalysis test, prosecutors added a second charge.

Not the first incident

The 2026 crash marks the second time Woods has faced DUI-related charges in Florida. In 2017, he was arrested for DUI but ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving as part of a diversion programme.

The golf champion has been open about his struggles with pain management following numerous surgeries throughout his career. His 2021 California crash raised serious concerns about whether he would ever play competitively again.

Prosecutors in the 2026 case were granted limited access to Woods’ hospital treatment and prescription records as part of their investigation.

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