Golf superstar Tiger Woods has been handed a five-year driving ban after entering a plea agreement following a car crash in Florida earlier this year.
Woods, aged 50, accepted a five-year suspension of his driving licence as well as a fine, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors in Martin County, Florida.
Woods pleaded no contest after prosecutors reduced his DUI charge to willful, wanton reckless driving as he avoided a potential jail sentence. Judge Darren Steele accepted the plea agreement, while Woods also entered a plea to a careless driving citation.
On the reckless driving offence charge, as well as being banned from going behind the wheel, Woods also received a fine of $1,000 (£748). On the second count, a refusal to submit to a lawful test, he received a fine of $500 (£370).
State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl defended the handling of the case after the hearing, saying: “I will always do what I think is the right thing. I think the criminal justice system is in a significant state of decline. I know what people are saying, that Mr. Woods will get special attention because of his fame, wealth and popularity.”
Woods was arrested after the crash, which happened in March. The incident saw Woods’ car roll over after colliding with a pick-up truck.
Following the crash, it was revealed Woods – who escaped unhurt after escaping through his passenger door – had passed a breathalyser test but then declined further testing for other drugs. He pleaded not guilty the same month to misdemeanour charges of driving under the influence and a refusal to submit to testing.
Police released body camera footage a month after the crash that captured the aftermath of the incident, showing Woods in the moments after his vehicle clipped a truck and rolled. In the video, Woods is kneeling on one knee and tells officers: “I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden, boom.”
Woods was accompanied in court by girlfriend Vanessa Trump – ex-wife of US President Donald Trump – who arrived with him ahead of the hearing.
It is more than two years since Woods last appeared at a major – the 2024 Open where he missed the cut.
