SCHULTZ: DUI ARREST MUST BE WOODS’ LAST BOTTOM

Recuperating golfer is released from jail on his own recognizance.

JUPITER, FLA. — The storied and troubled life of Tiger Woods now includes a DUI arrest.

Jupiter police stopped the golf legend about 3 a.m. Monday, a police spokeswoman said.

Eldrick Woods, 41, was booked about 7 a.m. into the Palm Beach County Jail and left on his own recognizance around 11 a.m., jail records show.

The booking charges Woods with DUI-unlawful blood alcohol/DUI, which could refer to either alcohol or drugs.

Jupiter police spokeswoman Kristin Rightler said Monday she did not know which. She also did not know if anyone else was in Woods’ car. Rightler did not know what testing was done on the scene or at the jail.

She said she has not seen a report, which she said should be available today.

However, Woods said in a statement Monday night that an unexpected reaction to prescription medicine led to his arrest. Woods said alcohol wasn’t involved, and that he didn’t realize the mix of medications affected him that strongly.

He also says he understands the severity of what he did and takes full responsibility.

Woods’ agent at Excel Sports, Mark Steinberg, did not immediately respond to a voicemail from the Associated Press seeking comment. PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said the tour would have no comment.

On Monday afternoon, the intersection where Woods was arrested was mostly quiet except for two television crews and their vehicles.

Woods had been traveling south, in the opposite direction of both his home near the beach in Martin County, and his corporate office and restaurant at Jupiter’s Harbourside dining and entertainment complex. Woods’ arrest took place about 10 minutes south of The Woods, an upscale sports bar he opened in August 2015.

The golfer’s web page did not mention the arrest as of Monday. The last posting on the website was from last week, after his twoday charity event Tiger Jam in Las Vegas the previous weekend.

On his website, Woods mentions his continuing recovery from a back injury, saying he’s intent on returning to competitive golf.

He has undergone four surgeries, most notably fusion surgery just more than a month ago, to help with back spasms. The problems kept him from playing in the 2017 Honda Classic in nearby Palm Beach Gardens, in February. The 14-time major champion has not played since he withdrew Feb. 3 from the Dubai Desert Classic, where he shot an opening-round 77.

Woods wrote on his news blog last week that he hasn’t “felt this good in years,” adding that “it was instant nerve relief.” He said that “right now, my sole focus is rehab and doing what the doctors tell me. I am concentrating on short-term goals.”

“As for returning to competitive golf, the long-term prognosis is positive. My surgeon and physiotherapist say the operation was successful. It’s just a matter of not screwing up and letting it fuse,” Woods wrote. “I’m walking and doing my exercises, and taking my kids to and from school. All I can do is take it day by day. There’s no hurry.”

Woods has earned more than $110 million on tour, with 79 victories since 1996.

LYNNE SLADKY / ASSOCIATED PRESS 2016 Tiger Woods was arrested and charged with DUI about 3 a.m. Monday. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and released around 11 a.m., records show.