Judge allows Woods to leave US for treatment, Ryder Cup captaincy off
This handout booking photo shows golf superstar Tiger Woods after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence after a car crash in Florida (HANDOUT) A Florida judge ruled Wednesday that Tiger Woods can leave the United States to seek "comprehensive inpatient treatment" after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence. Woods's attorney, Douglas Duncan, submitted the motion to travel in Martin County Court, citing the 50-year-old golfer's urgent need for an "intensive, highly individualized and medically integrated program" as well as privacy from media and public scrutiny. Judge Darren Steele granted the motion after a teleconference on the matter.
Woods's decision to "step away" from his golf-related activities in the wake of a rollover car accident on Friday means he will not captain the 2027 US Ryder Cup team, the PGA of America confirmed on Wednesday. Woods pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to misdemeanor charges of DUI with property damage and refusing to submit to a lawful test. A breathalyzer test showed no alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, but Woods refused a urine analysis.
In requesting approval for Woods to leave the country, Duncan said Woods's doctor had recommended the specific treatment facility "based upon the Defendant's complex clinical presentation and the urgent need for a level of care that cannot safely or effectively be done within the United States, as his privacy has been repeatedly compromised. "Ongoing medical scrutiny and public exposure create significant barriers to his care and would result in setbacks and an inability to fully engage in treatment. " Woods has battled through numerous injuries in his career, including multiple back surgeries.
In 2017 he was arrested on suspicion of DUI after police found him asleep at the wheel of his damaged car, with the engine running. Woods said he had taken a mix of painkillers, eventually pleading guilty to reckless driving and entering a treatment facility to seek help with managing prescription drugs. In February of 2021 Woods underwent emergency surgery for multiple compound fractures in his right leg and a shattered ankle after a rollover crash in California.
According to the accident report from the Martin County Sheriff's Office, Woods told officers he had had seven back surgeries and over 20 operations on his leg, advising them he has a limp and that one ankle seizes while walking. Woods told officers he was "looking down at his cell phone and changing the radio station and did not notice the vehicle in front of him had slowed down," according to the report. - 'Lethargic and slow' - But Sheriff's deputies described his movements as "lethargic and slow," noting his eyes were "bloodshot and glassy".