Lawyer: Tiger Woods DUI charge after Florida rollover crash likely won’t stick

Golf star Tiger Woods was arrested Friday afternoon following a rollover crash on Florida’s Jupiter Island, marking the state’s second drunken driving arrest in less than a decade.

But that part of Woods’ case doesn’t hold water, at least according to one defense attorney in Florida.

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For a long time, “It seems like they don’t have any cases, they don’t have any DUI cases.” South Florida defense attorney Robert Reiff he told Yahoo Sports on Friday night. “Dot, dot.”

Reiff is not involved in the case.

Tiger Woods arrested for drunk driving

Woods was driving at a high rate of speed on Jupiter Island around 2 p.m. Friday when police said he tried to pass a work truck. According to police, Woods’ Range Rover crashed into the back of the truck’s trailer and ended up on its side.

Woods was uninjured and got out of the SUV on his own. Officers at the scene said Woods “showed signs of impairment.” The officers did not suspect alcohol, but they did suspect medication or narcotics. Woods took a breathalyzer test that gave a reading of 0.00, but did not submit to further testing, refusing the urinalysis test. The person, who was described as “lethargic” at the scene, tried to explain the injuries and surgeries he had undergone in recent months.

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Neither Woods nor the driver of the truck were injured. Woods was arrested and charged with driving under the influence for property damage and refusal to submit to legal testing.

“He cooperated with the breathalyzer and then with the urine, which he wanted no part of,” said Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek. “He was cooperative, but he wasn’t trying to blame himself. So he was careful about what he said and what he didn’t say.”

Reiff said that because Woods did not submit to a urinalysis test, it would be difficult to prove that Woods was in fact under the influence of a controlled substance; This is necessary to meet the definition of DUI under Florida law.

This will result in dismissal of the testing charge, which is a second-degree misdemeanor in Florida that can result in up to 60 days in jail. But without this testing, there does not appear to be any legal evidence from the outside that Woods is disabled, barring new information or details coming to light.

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“Sometimes [officers] Return to default position, we think you’re disabled,” Reiff said. “Take a breath test, pass. Well, it must be drugs then. “I’m sorry it doesn’t work that way.”

Friday’s crash was the last for Woods. In 2021, he was involved in a single-car rollover crash in Southern California that left him with multiple leg fractures and a shattered ankle. He was also arrested for drunk driving during a traffic stop in Florida in 2017. He said the incident was the result of an “unexpected reaction to prescription medication” and pleaded guilty to careless driving.

Reiff said those injuries, as well as other back procedures Woods underwent, would be reason enough to explain the failed field sobriety tests.

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“I wouldn’t be surprised if Tiger Woods and his team pushed him to try. [lift his leg six inches] He was unable to do so as part of neurological testing, especially since he had one leg shorter than the other and because of back problems, Reiff said, referring to a common field sobriety test.

Woods was transported to the Martin County Jail, where he will be held for at least eight hours, according to Budensiek. Even that probably shouldn’t happen, Reiff said. In Florida, when a suspect is arrested for DUI, he is held for either eight hours or until his breathalyzer test reading drops below 0.05. Woods has already blown 0.00.

“It’s so ingrained in them that they have to hold it for eight hours… only if it’s exploded below 0.05. Then if you release it, then you should release it,” Reiff said. “It’s like everything else, they don’t understand the nuance.”

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Woods made his return to competitive golf just three days ago, playing in the TGL indoor golf final with his Jupiter Links Golf Club team. This marked his first real competitive golf since the 2024 British Open, albeit in a closed league. Woods ruptured his Achilles in March 2025 and had surgery for a lumbar disc replacement in October.

Before the accident, Woods was in no way committed to qualifying for this year’s Masters, which begins April 9.

More information about Friday’s incident is sure to emerge. Woods hasn’t had a chance to speak publicly yet, either.

But from a legal perspective, at least based on what’s currently available, Rieff believes the DUI charge won’t last long.

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“There is definitely more to this story and we need to find out. [more]” said Reiff. “But I will tell you this for sure, based on what I’ve heard… It sounds like they have absolutely no evidence – at least not on drunken driving.”