On Friday, golf legend Tiger Woods was involved in an accident near his Jupiter, Fla., home. He flipped his Range Rover onto its side and had to exit from the passenger side. Police charged Woods with DUI, although Woods claimed that he was looking at his phone and changing the radio when the accident occurred.
The accident happened at the moment that Woods was overcoming injuries that had scuttled his stratospheric career. He had worked his way back to playing form and was even considering playing in next week’s Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga.
But now, Woods is stepping away from the game to focus on his recovery. He released a statement on X on Tuesday evening:
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 31, 2026
"Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament fully support Tiger Woods as he focuses on his well-being," Masters chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement. "Although Tiger will not be joining us in person next week, his presence will be felt here in Augusta."
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach reports that even if Woods didn’t play at the Masters, he would’ve had a presence:
While he hadn't committed to playing, he had been working to return to competition at next week's Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, where he has won five times.
Even if Woods didn't play, he was scheduled to attend a Sunday ceremony for the opening of "The Patch," a municipal golf course in Augusta, where he built a new short course and helped redesign the existing 18 holes. Woods also was expected to attend the annual Champions Dinner at Augusta National on April 7.
"Tiger Woods is a legend of our sport whose impact extends far beyond his achievements on the course," the PGA Tour said in a statement. "But above all else, Tiger is a person, and our focus is on his health and well being. Tiger continues to have our full support as he takes this important step."
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Earlier on Tuesday, Woods appeared in court alongside his attorney, Douglas Duncan. Woods pleaded not guilty to DUI and demanded a jury trial as more details emerged about the Friday accident.
After emerging from his Range Rover's passenger-side door, Woods was interviewed by police in the back of an air-conditioned vehicle. Deputy Tatiana Levenar described him as "sweating profusely" with "lethargic and slow" movements.
Woods claimed he was driving from his home in Jupiter and looking down at his cell phone at the time of the incident, not realizing the vehicle in front of him, a pick-up truck carrying a pressure washer trailer, had slowed down.
Another deputy found two white hydrocodone pills in Woods' pants pocket. When asked whether he took prescription medication that morning, Woods told police, "I take a few." The names of those medications were redacted from the affidavit.
More from CBS Sports:
Woods agreed to a field sobriety test, but after the deputy observed him "limping and stumbling to the right," the 15-time major winner informed the deputy that he had seven surgeries on his back and 20 surgeries on his leg. The deputy then had Woods complete the test seated on the bumper of the police cruiser. After being asked to remove his glasses, Woods' eyes were described as "bloodshot and glassy" with his pupils "extremely dilated."
Woods was taken through numerous tasks in the field sobriety test. Among them, he was asked to follow a pen with his eyes but "continuously moved his head from side to side and had to be instructed several times to keep his head straight." He was also asked to clap his hands and count on each clap in a different test, but "he counted out loud, 'one,' 'two,' but did not make contact with his hands between each count."
Woods is making the right move in stepping back and focusing on his health. Hopefully, he can become as big an inspiration for addiction recovery as he has been on the golf course for so many years.
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