Champion golfer Tiger Woods loses driving licence for five years after plea deal

Golfing champion Tiger Woods has pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge following a rollover crash in March near his home in Florida where he initially was accused of driving under the influence.

Woods appeared in a courtroom in Martin County where he agreed to the reduced charge.

A judge ordered that his driver’s licence be suspended for five years.

Woods, 50, said little during the hearing and beforehand sat at the defence table, looking back at the courtroom gallery. 

He arrived at the courthouse with his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, President Donald Trump’s former daughter-in-law.

She sat behind him during the hearing. Woods left the courthouse without addressing reporters.

He also pleaded no contest to refusing to submit to testing and was fined court costs, according to court documents.

A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but means the accused will offer no defence.

The plea is treated as a conviction in the criminal justice system.

Woods was arrested after his SUV clipped a truck and rolled over on its side on a beachside residential road on Jupiter Island. 

A sheriff’s report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket and he showed signs of impairment. He did a Breathalyzer test, which came out negative, but refused to take a urine test.

He had pleaded not guilty to the original DUI charge.

Neither Woods nor the person in the other vehicle were injured in the crash, according to officials. 

But his Land Rover caused $US5,000 ($7,000) in damage to the truck, according to a police report. Woods had told a deputy that he was looking down at his phone and changing the radio station when he hit the truck.

Woods is among the most influential figures in golf, but his career has been derailed by multiple back and knee surgeries, car crashes and dependence on pain medication.

Woods has been involved in four crashes over the years. 

He took a leave from the golf tour after the 2009 crash and again after the latest crash and has yet to return to tournament play.

He left the United States to seek treatment at an inpatient treatment facility, according to court records.

Woods made his first public appearance since returning from treatment on June 23 when he introduced the PGA Tour’s plans to revamp its schedule for 2028. 

Woods remained as chairman of the tour’s Future Competition Committee after his arrest. He did not take questions during that appearance.

AP