Tiger Woods appeared in court on September 2, 2026, and changed his plea to no contest or guilty on reduced charges of reckless driving and refusal to submit to drug testing, receiving a five-year driver's license suspension without exceptions and fines between $1,000 and $1,500 [1, 2, 3, 4].
Judge Darren Steele, who presided over the case, imposed two concurrent five-year license suspensions for reckless driving and careless driving and warned, "There are no exceptions. If you were to drive for any reason at all, you would go immediately back to jail" [2, 5, 6].
The charges stem from Woods' rollover crash on March 27, 2026, near his home on Jupiter Island, Florida. Woods' vehicle clipped a truck before rolling over, but neither driver was injured [1, 7, 8, 9]. Woods was initially charged with DUI, property damage, and refusal to submit to drug testing [1, 7, 8]. He passed a breathalyzer test for alcohol but refused both urinalysis and blood tests for drugs. At the crash scene, two hydrocodone pills were found in his pocket [1, 8, 3].
Following the crash, Woods announced he would step away from professional golf to seek treatment and focus on his health. He spent time at an inpatient treatment center in Switzerland [1, 8]. This crash marks Woods' fourth known auto accident since 2009. In a previous rollover crash in California in February 2021, he sustained serious leg injuries requiring multiple surgeries [9, 10].
After initially pleading not guilty, Woods changed his plea with a court date on September 2, avoiding jail but accepting the license suspension and fines [1, 2, 9]. Woods now has 30 days to appeal the court’s ruling [2, 11].
Woods holds 15 major golf championships and 82 PGA Tour wins from his professional career [2, 11]. The license suspension will restrict his driving privileges for five years starting immediately.
