Tiger Woods is seen ‘limping and stumbling’ as he failed a sobriety test before being placed in handcuffs in fresh footage from the aftermath of his recent DUI arrest in Florida.
The golf legend was put behind bars on Friday after rolling his SUV while attempting to overtake a vehicle at high speed, before cops found two opioid pills in his pocket. He was hit with several charges including driving under the influence.
In a stunning clip that emerged on Thursday, Woods is heard telling police that he had spoken on the phone with President Donald Trump following the crash.
And now more footage shows the 50-year-old being put through tests by officers at the scene. First, Woods is asked how much he had to drink, to which he replies: ‘None.’
When quizzed if he is on any medication, he responds, ‘I take a few, yes,’ before detailing that he had taken it all earlier that morning.
Woods then sits on the front of the police car for the exercises, one of which sees a cop move her hand from side to side in front of Woods’ face as he attempts to follow it – without moving his head. In another, he is asked to touch the end of his nose.
After the tests, the golf legend – who appeared to be hiccupping on several occasions – is asked to stand up and face the police car. He is then told to put his hands behind his back before being placed in cuffs.
‘I do believe your normal faculties are impaired and you’re under [the influence of] an unknown substance,’ the cop tells him. ‘I’m being arrested?’ Woods asks. ‘Yes, sir,’ she responds.
The affidavit claims Woods was ‘limping and stumbling’ during the tests.
In the clip, officers then check his beltline and his pockets, where they find two pills of hydrocodone – a prescription opioid used to treat severe pain.
The golf legend was also hit with a citation for careless driving resulting in a crash, a non-criminal traffic violation that reportedly carries a fine of $163.
Woods is also charged with driving under the influence, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. He pleaded not guilty and is slated to appear in court on May 5.
It was the fourth occasion Woods has been involved in an accident since 2009.
Prior to the incident there had been speculation over whether Woods might play at the Masters – an event he has won five times – next week.
That will now not happen and the PGA of America said on Wednesday Woods had turned down the opportunity to captain the United States at the 2027 Ryder Cup after he announced he would step away from golf for a period to focus on his health and wellbeing.
‘I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,’ Woods said on Tuesday. ‘I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.’
Earlier on Thursday, bodycam footage shows Woods making a phone call and then telling police: ‘I was just talking with the President.’
In the clip, the golf icon – who is dating Trump’s former daughter-in-law, Vanessa – can be seen in the distance as a police officer repeatedly calls after him. The cop approaches Woods, urging him to return.
The 15-time major champion appears to be speaking on the phone when the officer tells him: ‘We’ll get you to hang down here with us, please.’
A few moments later, Woods can be heard ending his conversation as he approaches the police. ‘Thank you so much – all right, you got it, thank you, bye,’ the 50-year-old says.
Woods, who has a close relationship with Trump and was awarded the Medal of Freedom during his first term, then tells police: ‘I was just talking with the president.’
On Tuesday, Trump revealed he had spoken to Woods following his DUI arrest. ‘I think he’s doing great, he’s doing good,’ the president said.
His comments came after it emerged that a breathalyzer test had shown no signs of alcohol but that Woods had two loose opioid pills in his pocket when he was searched by police officers at the scene.
‘He tested negative for alcohol, as you know, and he is under a tremendous physical pressure from his various ailments… the back and the leg,’ Trump said.
‘He lives a life of pain. He has a lot of pain. He’s an amazing guy. He’s an amazing athlete. He does have pain. He doesn’t have an alcohol problem, but he does have pain.’
Trump last week spoke about Woods’ struggles, telling reporters: ‘I feel so bad. He’s got some difficulty – there was an accident, and that’s all I know.’
The president added: ‘[He is] a very close friend of mine, he’s an amazing person, an amazing man. But some difficulty. I don’t want to talk about it.’
More footage showed a dazed Woods kneeling at the side of the road and falling asleep in the back of a cop car following his latest DUI arrest.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office released a clip of the moment cops found him lethargic, sweaty and unsteady at the side of the street, as well as a 17-minute video of Woods being transported to jail.
In the footage of him in the back seat of the cop car, Woods can be seen yawning wildly, struggling to contain a bout of hiccups, and briefly falling asleep, all while remaining completely silent.
In the initial clip of him at the roadside, recorded by the arresting officer’s bodycam, Woods can be heard explaining how the crash occurred.
‘I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden… boom!’ Woods tells the officer, explaining the moment he clipped the back of a pressure washer trailer and rolled his Range Rover onto its side.
Woods’ arrest affidavit was released on Wednesday, in which cops revealed how he had told them he was ‘looking down at his cell phone and changing the radio station’ when the crash occurred.
The 15-time major winner’s eyes were also said to be ‘bloodshot and glassy’ and his pupils were ‘extremely dilated’. When asked if he is currently taking any prescription medication, Woods replied: ‘I take a few’.
It comes after the Daily Mail first reported that Woods’ refusal to provide a urine sample at the scene was likely because he had taken heavy doses of prescription opioids from his repeated injuries.
He had been traveling at ‘high speeds’ on a residential road and after the crash showed ‘signs of impairment,’ Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said, adding that investigators believe he had taken some kind of medication or drug.
He described Woods as lethargic and said he agreed to a breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test and was arrested.
Budensiek said Woods attempted to pass a pressure cleaner truck while driving on a two-lane road with a 30mph speed limit. He said authorities could not determine how fast Woods was going.
The Land Rover swerved to avoid a collision as he was passing the truck but clipped the back end of the truck’s trailer, Budensiek said. Woods’ car then rolled onto its driver’s side and he crawled out.
The sheriff said Woods was ‘cooperative, but [was] not trying to incriminate himself.’
He said Woods has the right to refuse the urine test and that authorities ‘will never get definitive results with what he was impaired on.’
This was the fourth time Woods has been involved in a car crash. In February 2021, his SUV ran off a coastal road in Los Angeles at a high rate of speed, leading to multiple leg and ankle injuries.
Woods said later doctors considered amputation. He also previously sustained multiple injuries to his left knee and his back during his golf career.
It is the second time Woods has been arrested for a DUI not as a result of the influence of alcohol.
He said he took a bad mix of painkillers when authorities found him in 2017 asleep behind the wheel of his car, the engine still running and its driver’s side damaged. Woods pleaded guilty then to reckless driving.
