Tiger Woods was arrested on suspicion of DUI after flipping his car near his home in Florida, and the golf icon called President Donald Trump shortly after the incident
President Donald Trump reportedly received a phone call from Tiger Woods moments after he overturned his Land Rover near his Florida home, before being charged with a misdemeanour DUI with property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Woods is facing a number of charges following the car incident, with local sheriff John Budensiek claiming he displayed signs of impairment, though not as a result of alcohol. Woods has since confirmed he will withdraw from golf and has been granted permission to leave the US to seek treatment abroad.
Bodycam footage of the arrest was released on Thursday, capturing Woods undertaking a field sobriety test before apparently falling asleep in the back of a police vehicle. Prior to the golf legend being arrested, he was spotted talking on the phone and informed an officer that he was speaking with President Trump.
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Following the crash, a significant police presence descended on the scene. An officer summoned Woods as he walked away to take a private phone call. As Woods made his way towards the officer, he was heard saying: “Thank you so much. All right. You got it. Bye.”
When the officer asked Woods to remain close by, the golfer responded: “Yeah, I was just talking with the President. Was just trying to get away”, reports the Mirror US.
Woods and Trump remain firm friends, with the golfer currently in a relationship with Vanessa Trump, the former wife of Donald Trump Jr. Woods has maintained a close friendship with Trump for several decades, with the US President a passionate golf enthusiast. Given their close friendship, Trump was quizzed about the situation shortly after Woods was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving. “I feel so bad. He’s got some difficulty — there was an accident, and that’s all I know,” Trump said.
“A very close friend of mine, he’s an amazing person, an amazing man. But some difficulty. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Woods crashed his vehicle after colliding with a lorry near his home on Jupiter Island, but passed a breathalyser test. Nevertheless, the sheriff maintained that he displayed signs of impairment, and Woods declined to provide a urine sample.
The golf legend is next due in court in May and has agreed to cooperate with all further court proceedings. However, Woods is set to temporarily leave the US after his solicitor, Douglas Duncan, submitted a request that a judge approved. Duncan applied for Woods to leave the US to “begin comprehensive inpatient treatment.”
The filing read: “Based upon the Defendant’s treating physician, the out-of-country treatment facility recommendation is based upon the Defendant’s complex clinical presentation and the urgent need for a level of care that cannot safely or effectively be done within the United States, as his privacy has been repeatedly compromised.”
Duncan argued that the high-profile nature of the case means Woods could find it difficult to complete his recovery in the United States. He also suggested that exposure to the public could even “result in setbacks and an inability to fully engage in treatment.” Since the accident, Woods has told the PGA of America that he no longer wants to be considered for the captaincy ahead of the 2027 Ryder Cup. Woods had also been planning a remarkable return at the Masters, but he has since stepped back from the sport entirely.
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