Golfer Woods charged with DUI
4 HOURS IN JAIL
NEW YORK • Less than a decade ago he was one of the most admired and best loved sportsmen in the world with a fortune in excess of $1 billion.
On Monday Tiger Woods’ life hit a new low — after he was arrested in the early hours of the morning for driving under the influence.
The 14-time major winner suffered the humiliation of having his dishevelled looking mug shot released by police — a far cry from the days in which he was held up as a role model.
Police sources told gossip website TMZ that the former sporting hero was “arrogant” when an officer smelled alcohol on his breath — and refused to take a breathalyzer test.
He was arrested near his Florida home and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, spending nearly four hours in the Palm Beach County jail before being released.
The 41-year-old former No. 1 golfer was stopped by Jupiter police in his 2015 Mercedes at around 3 a.m. local time.
His team have not responded to TMZ’s reports that he was driving “erratically” and refused to take a breathalyzer test. The site reported that Woods’ entourage spent Monday morning telephoning the police station repeatedly, to try to find out whether the police had dashcam video footage of the incident.
He was charged at 7:18 a.m. but police would not release further details. A police mug shot showed a wideeyed and dishevelled Woods staring blearily at the camera. He was released at 10:50 a.m., and a member of his team arrived to collect the vehicle. Woods has yet to comment.
The arrest comes at a testing time for Woods, who in 2009 became the first athlete to earn $1 billion, according to Forbes.
Woods, who ranks second with his 79 career victories on the PGA Tour, has not played for four months. He is out for the rest of the season while he recovers from a fourth back operation.
Woods said in an update last week on his website that the fusion surgery provided instant relief and that “I haven’t felt this good in years.” He won his last major, the U.S. Open, in 2008, but was forced to take leave after admitting to cheating on his then-wife, Swedish model Elin Nordegren.
In 2009 he got into his Cadillac Escalade at 2:25 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving and smashed into a tree. He was cited for careless driving and fined $164. A slew of women then came forward to claim they had had an affair with the golfer.