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Tiger Woods walks out of courthouse after plea deal of DUI charge (Saul Martinez/Getty Images)
The scene used to play out to amazed amusement, one of the most famous people in the world arriving to compete in front of thousands of fans who want to trace his every move — having driven himself to the venue.
It always seemed somewhat endearing. Tiger Woods — the high-profile person in golf with all manner of means to get from point A to point B — doing the most mundane act of driving himself.
Of course, this has not been a funny topic for the better part of a decade.
Four times in the past 17 years, Woods has been involved in a traffic incident that involved police. Twice he was arrested, and the other times he could have been. The injuries he suffered in a 2021 rollover crash were so horrific as to often overshadow the way it was handled by authorities.
On Wednesday, the 15-time major champion who has not played a competitive round of golf in more than two years appeared in a Florida court after having reached a plea deal concerning his latest accident in March near his Jupiter, Fla., home. Woods’ vehicle rolled over again after clipping a truck trailer in front of him. Woods passed a sobriety test at the scene but refused a urine test, leading to a charge of suspicion of DUI.
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Woods pleaded guilty to a lesser charge on Wednesday, changing his original not guilty plea to one of no contest for reckless driving and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Woods will have his driver’s license suspended for five years and must pay $1,500 in fines. He would be subject to arrest if he violates the terms of his agreement and is caught driving a car before September 2031.
“Sir, I want you to understand that five years of driving is for the safety of the public. There are no exceptions,” Martin County Judge Darren Steele told Woods in court. “If you were to drive for any reason at all, you would go immediately back to jail.”
All of which leads back to the question that has been asked 1,001 times about Woods and getting behind the wheel — why doesn’t someone else drive for him?
That was certainly what many wondered in the aftermath of the car crash in Southern California in February of 2021 where he was driving himself to an early-morning documentary shoot at Rolling Hills Country Club in Rancho Palos Verdes.
According to a 22-page report released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Woods was driving alone on a winding major thoroughfare on his way to the course just after 7 a.m., traveling at more than 82 mph in a 45-mph speed zone. He drove straight into a median, struck a curb, knocked down a wooden sign and drove into the opposite lanes before hitting a tree and rolling down an embankment.
Woods suffered broken bones in his right leg and injuries to his right foot and ankle. He endured multiple surgeries in the coming days and weeks and later said he was “lucky to have his leg.” The sheriff’s office did not issue a citation.
Clearly, Woods was fortunate to not injure himself more seriously or hurt anyone else.
