Tiger Woods forfeits driver’s licence for five years in DUI plea deal
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Tiger Woods initially told the authorities he was looking down at his phone and did not realise the truck in front of him had slowed down before his crash.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Tiger Woods pleaded no contest to wilful, wanton and reckless driving and refusing to submit to a urine test in a brief hearing on Sept 2 at the Martin County Courthouse in Florida.
Woods agreed to two concurrent five-year suspensions of his driver’s licence and was fined US$1,000 (S$1,270) in exchange for a DUI (driving under the influence) charge originating from his March crash on a residential road being dropped.
Judge Darren Steele told Woods the simultaneous five-year revocations of his licence would be served concurrently rather than consecutively for a total of 10 years, but warned he must strictly follow the driving ban.
“There are no exceptions. If you were to drive for any reason... you go immediately back to jail,” Steele said during the hearing.
Police reporting to the scene on March 27 suspected Woods was driving under the influence and impaired when he clipped a truck and rolled his vehicle on a beachfront road on Jupiter Island.
In his initial court hearing, Woods, 50, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanour DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Woods and the driver of the other vehicle were uninjured in the crash. Deputies said Woods claimed he was looking down at his phone and changing the radio station when he hit the truck.
Attorney Douglas Duncan, who represents Woods, filed notice of the change of plea hearing on Sept 1. A defendant is required to appear in-person for such hearings. The Sept 2 court appearance came days before Woods was scheduled to appear at a status hearing on Sept 8.
Duncan represented Woods in court when the legendary golfer had DUI charges reduced to reckless driving in 2017.
He also successfully lobbied Steele in April to permit Woods to travel outside the country to receive “comprehensive inpatient treatment” after his March arrest.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the American had two hydrocodone pills in his pocket and officers observed him to be lethargic, slow, “sweating profusely” with eyes that were bloodshot, glassy and pupils that were “extremely dilated”.
He was accompanied to the courtroom on Sept 2 by girlfriend Vanessa Trump.
Woods has won 15 Major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus with 18. He also has won 82 PGA Tour events, a record he shares with Sam Snead.
He spent a record 683 weeks as world No. 1 and is the only player to have held all four Major titles at the same time, a feat known as the “Tiger Slam”. REUTERS
