Tiger Woods Loses Driver's License for Five Years After Plea Deal

Tiger Woods has lost his driver’s license for five years. This happened on Wednesday after he reached a plea deal related to a car crash in Florida that occurred in March.

Judge Darren Steele told Woods during a live hearing at the Martin County Courthouse in Stuart, Florida, “If you were to drive for any reason at all you would go immediately back to jail.”

Woods was facing a serious charge of driving under the influence (DUI). But under the plea deal, he pleaded no contest to lesser charges of careless and reckless driving.

The 15-time major champion could have faced jail time if he was convicted of the DUI charge. Woods was in a road accident on March 27 near his Jupiter Island home. His SUV hit a truck pulling a trailer and flipped on its side while trying to pass on a residential road.

Authorities found that the 50-year-old golfer had not been drinking alcohol. However, they believed he appeared impaired. Woods had two pills containing the opioid painkiller hydrocodone in his pocket at the time of the crash.

He refused to provide a urine sample for testing and was charged, jailed, and later released on bond. Woods was at the court hearing with his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, who is the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr.

Former President Trump, who loves golf, called Woods a “great guy” on Wednesday. He said he thought the outcome of the case was “very fair.” He added that with Woods losing his driver’s license, “he’s going to have somebody drive him.”

“I told him that a long time ago. Why don’t you get somebody to drive you?” Trump said to reporters at the White House.

At first, Woods pleaded not guilty to charges of DUI with property damage and refusing to take a lawful test. He told authorities he was looking at his phone and changing radio stations when the accident happened.

A few days later, he announced he was “stepping away” to seek treatment and focus on his health. Since the crash, Woods has traveled outside the U.S. for treatment at a facility, reportedly in Switzerland.

He made his first public appearance since his arrest at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship in June. During the event, he introduced tour Chief Executive Brian Rolapp, who talked about a new competitive structure for the tour starting in 2028.

As chair of the Future Competition Committee, Woods helped shape a new two-tier system. This includes a PGA Tour Championship Series and a Challenger Series that gives golfers a chance to reach the elite circuit.

Woods last played in an official PGA Tour event in July 2024.