Tiger Woods set for first in-person hearing in DUI case Sept. 8

Golf legend Tiger Woods is scheduled to appear in person before a Martin County, Florida, judge for the first time since his March rollover crash, with a hearing set for 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 8, according to court records.

Mr. Woods, 50, faces two misdemeanor counts stemming from the March 27 crash near his Jupiter Island home: driving under the influence with property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test. The refusal charge falls under a Florida law that took effect Oct. 1, 2025, making a first refusal to submit to a lawful breath, urine or blood test a criminal offense.

According to an arrest affidavit, Mr. Woods was driving a Land Rover on South Beach Road when he crossed double solid lines to pass a pickup truck towing a pressure-washer trailer, clipped the trailer and rolled his vehicle onto its side. Neither he nor the other driver was injured. Deputies with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office reported observing signs of impairment, including bloodshot and dilated eyes and lethargic movement, and said Mr. Woods failed portions of a field sobriety test that had been modified to accommodate his history of back and leg surgeries.

Two breath tests taken at the Martin County Jail registered 0.000 for alcohol, but Mr. Woods declined to submit to a urine test after being read Florida’s implied consent warning, according to the affidavit. Deputies also found two hydrocodone pills in his pocket during a search.

Mr. Woods waived his arraignment and pleaded not guilty to both counts in late March, with his attorney, West Palm Beach lawyer Douglas Duncan, requesting a jury trial. The case has since moved slowly, in part because prosecutors sought and eventually obtained access to Mr. Woods’ hospital and pharmacy records from the day of the crash, according to Martin County court filings. Mr. Woods also spent time abroad in Switzerland seeking treatment before returning to the United States.

DUI defense attorney Ted Hollander, who is not involved in the case, told CBS12 the discovery of medication in Mr. Woods’ pocket complicates his defense.

“That’s the first thing we want to figure out: whether a doctor prescribed the medications,” Mr. Hollander said.

The crash marked Mr. Woods’ second DUI arrest in less than a decade; he was previously taken into custody in Jupiter in 2017 after being found asleep behind the wheel following prescription drug use. He also suffered serious leg injuries in a separate 2021 rollover crash that sidelined him from competitive golf for a year.