By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
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Golf legend Tiger Woods has been released on bail following his arrest on charges of driving under the influence after a crash in Florida.
Woods, 50, rolled his Land Rover after clipping a truck in Jupiter Island on Friday afternoon, according to Sheriff John Budensiek, who said officers had not suspected him of impairment by alcohol but possibly by an unknown substance.
Woods, who had to crawl out of the passenger door, passed a breathalyser test after the crash before refusing a urine test. No-one was injured.
He was kept in jail for eight hours – the minimum allowed under state law – before being released on bail.
Budensiek said the crash happened after Woods allegedly attempted to overtake a pressure cleaner truck at a “high rate of speed”.
DUI investigators came to the scene and “Mr Woods did exemplify signs of impairment”, Budensiek said.
“They did several tests on him,” Budensiek said. “He did explain the injuries and surgeries that he’s had and we did take that into account, but they did some in-depth roadside tests.”
Woods was placed under arrest after the incident, which took place on Beach Road just before 19:00 (GMT).
Budensiek said investigators at the scene and at jail were “really not suspicious of alcohol being involved” and Woods passed a breathalyser test with “triple zeros”.
Budensiek said Woods was “co-operative but was trying not to incriminate himself”.
“He has a right to refuse that test,” Budensiek said.
“There is a statute which he will be charged with for refusing to take that test, but we will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash.”
This was the fourth time Woods has been involved in a car crash, most recently in February 2021 when his SUV ran off a coastal road in Los Angeles at a high rate of speed, leading to multiple leg and ankle injuries.
Woods returned from multiple back surgeries to win the 2019 Masters for his 15th major. His 82 titles on the PGA Tour is tied for the career record with Sam Snead. Since that LA crash, he has played 11 tournaments without being closer than 16 shots to the winner the four times he was able to finish 72 holes.