TIGER’S NEW LOW
WOODS ARRESTED ON DUI CHARGE IN FLORIDA Golfer blames ‘reaction to prescribed medications’
Golf legend Tiger Woods last night released a statement saying he takes “full responsibility” after a Florida DUI arrest he said was caused by “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications.”
“I understand the severity of what I did and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Woods said in a statement. “I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn’t realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly.”
The 14-time major champion was arrested about 3 a.m. on Memorial Day, Jupiter, Fla., police spokeswoman Kristin Rightler confirmed to the Herald. A police report will not be available until this morning, Rightler said, but it does not appear as though Woods was involved in an accident.
Woods, 41, was booked into the Palm Beach County jail at 7:18 a.m. yesterday morning and released on his own recognizance at 10:50 a.m., according to online jail records that said he is charged with DUI, unlawful blood alcohol-DUI, alcohol or drugs.
It was not immediately clear whether Woods was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs and Rightler said she did not know any details about the circumstances leading to the arrest or whether Woods had any passengers in the car.
“I would like to apologize with all my heart to my family, friends and to the fans. I expect more from myself too,” Woods said in his statement. “I will do everything in my power to ensure this never happens again.
“I fully cooperated with law-enforcement, and I would like to personally thank the representatives of the Jupiter Police Department in the Palm Beach County sheriffs office for their professionalism.”
Woods, who has amassed more than $110 million in PGA Tour earnings, has seen his career derailed by back injuries.
He underwent fusion surgery on his back last month and posted to his blog last Wednesday saying, “it is hard to express how much better I feel. It was instant nerve relief. I haven’t felt this good in years.”
The surgery ended his 2017 season, but he wrote “unequivocally, I want to play professional golf again.”
Yesterday was the first motor vehicle run-in for Woods since the early morning after Thanksgiving in 2009 when he plowed his SUV into a tree and a fire hydrant outside his Windermere, Fla., home. The crash ultimately led to revelations about his multiple extramarital affairs and to his divorce from Swedish model Elin Nordegren.