DUI OF THE TIGER
Washed-up golf legend busted in Fla. Lupica: Master of own demise
IN YET ANOTHER setback to what was once a stellar career, Tiger Woods was arrested Monday on a charge of driving under the influence after Florida police said he was spotted weaving erratically on the road.
Woods, 41, spent nearly eight hours in custody after he was nabbed around 3 a.m. in Jupiter, a suburban area a few miles from his home, and taken to the Palm Beach County jail, Jupiter police spokeswoman Kristin Rightler said.
In a statement released late Monday, the 14-time major golf champ blamed his meds — not alcohol — for his behavior.
“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 affected me so strongly,” said Woods, who suffers from chronic back problems and had surgery April 19.
Woods said he “apologized with all my heart” to his family and fans — and added that he “cooperated” with Jupiter police.
Cops pulled his 2015 Mercedes over on Military Trail just south of Indian Creek Parkway as it traveled in the opposite direction of his home a few miles away.
“It’s based on visuals, a roadside test,” Rightler said of the reason for the arrest.
A mug shot revealed a sullen, fatigued and unshaven Woods — wearing a white T-shirt — giving the police camera a blank stare.
Police at the scene said they smelled alcohol on Woods’ breath, according to TMZ.
Woods, who has been No. 1 longer than any golfer in history, became “arrogant” at one point — then refused to take a Breathalyzer test, the site reported.
That resulted in an automatic arrest for DUI and driver’s license suspension under Florida state law, TMZ said.
I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. TIGER WOODS
Woods was released under his own recognizance at 10:50 a.m., Palm Beach County sheriff’s office records show.
The golfer’s girlfriend, Kristin Smith, reportedly “went crazy” after she heard about the arrest as she was shopping at a Neiman Marcus store in Dallas.
“I knew it! I knew it!” she said, according to TMZ.
The personal stylist cried and bought $5,000 worth of stuff, the site said.
Woods, a divorced father of two, has been away from the PGA Tour as he recovers from his fourth back surgery. Woods, once the world’s greatest golfer, has only competed in three major tournaments over the past two years, largely due to back problems.
Some of his golf friends have even expressed concern recently for his well-being.
“We all wonder about him, wonder if he’s lonely,” golf pro Stuart Appleby, a former neighbor in Windermere, told Sports Illustrated in March 2016.
On his website, Woods described the fusion surgery and detailed his desire to get back to the links as soon as possible.
“It has been just over a month since I underwent fusion surgery on my back, and it is hard to express how much better I feel,” he wrote in a message posted last Wednesday. “It was instant nerve relief. I haven’t felt this good in years.”
The surgery was necessary because the pain was unbearable, he said.
“Even lying down hurt. I had nerve pain with anything I did and was at the end of my rope,” Woods said. The medical procedure was performed in Texas.
Woods also talked about being disappointed to miss the Masters, a tournament he’s won four times. But he vowed to make a triumphant return.
“I want to say unequivocally, I want to play professional golf again,” he said.
Woods hasn’t played competitively since he backed out of the Dubai Desert Classic on Feb. 3.
His career and role model image nose-dived after he smashed his SUV into a tree and fire hydrant.
The crash occurred after his wife, Elin Nordegren, chased him outside their Windermere, Fla., home in the early morning after Thanksgiving 2009.
The smash-up led to revelations that he had multiple extramarital affairs.
A police report at the time showed that a Florida trooper, who suspected Woods was driving under the influence, had sought a subpoena for the golfer’s blood test results from the hospital. Prosecutors rejected the petition for insufficient information.
A witness, who wasn’t identified in the report, told the trooper he had been drinking alcohol earlier. The same witness also said Woods had been prescribed two drugs, the sleep aid Ambien and the painkiller Vicodin.
The report did not say who the witness was, but added it was the same person who had pulled Woods from the vehicle soon after the accident. Woods’ wife had told police that she used a golf club to smash the back windows of the Cadillac Escalade to help her husband out. He eventually was cited for careless driving and fined just $164.