Tiger Woods is set to return to the public eye in early September, when the golf legend is expected to make his first courtroom appearance stemming from his March DUI arrest and SUV crash in Florida.
The appearance will come nearly five months after Woods, 50, was detained on March 27 following a crash on Jupiter Island. Authorities said Woods flipped his SUV while attempting to overtake a truck and trailer at high speed.
Police subsequently reported finding two opioid painkillers in his pocket. Woods was charged with DUI, property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Afterward, Woods sought professional help in Zurich, Switzerland. He later made a brief return to Florida after his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Prosecutors Gain Access to Tiger Woods’ Medical Records
The criminal case, meanwhile, has continued moving through the courts. Woods’ first courtroom appearance has reportedly been postponed several times while prosecutors continued their investigation in South Florida.
Attorney Douglas Duncan will represent Woods. The 15-time major champion waived his arraignment and requested a jury trial.
His most recent hearing took place on August 4, following a July decision that gave prosecutors access to hospital records connected to the March crash.
Martin County Circuit Court Judge Darren Steele approved an agreement between prosecutors and Woods’ defense team allowing the State Attorney’s Office to request records from the hospital where Woods was treated after the wreck.
That followed another agreement Steele approved in May. Under that arrangement, prosecutors were granted access to Woods’ prescription medication records from his Palm Beach pharmacy covering the period between January 1 and the March 27 crash.
The medical information will not be available for unrestricted public release. Prosecutors and Woods’ attorney agreed to a protective order limiting access to the hospital and prescription records to the State Attorney’s Office, law enforcement, state experts, and the defense.
Crash Came as Woods Was Eyeing Golf Comeback
The crash occurred at a particularly significant point in Woods’ attempted golf comeback.
Before March 27, he had been closing in on a return to competitive golf and was widely expected to play at The Masters. Woods has not competed in an official tournament since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland.
His extended absence has included more medical setbacks. Woods underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles and also had a seventh procedure on his back.
Instead of returning to Augusta National, Woods has spent the months since the crash recovering and dealing with the criminal case that followed.
Woods Has Faced Previous Incidents Behind the Wheel
The March incident is also the latest in a series of serious episodes involving Woods behind the wheel.
In 2017, he was arrested for DUI after Florida police discovered him slumped in his vehicle. Testing found five drugs in his system, including two painkillers.
Four years later, Woods suffered devastating injuries when his SUV crashed in California in 2021. He was trapped inside the vehicle and shattered his right leg, requiring multiple surgeries. His subsequent recovery was complicated further by plantar fasciitis, a painful heel condition.
His driving history also includes the November 2009 crash that became inseparable from one of the biggest scandals of his career. Woods struck a fire hydrant outside his Florida home after his then-wife, Elin Nordegren, discovered his infidelities.
Now, instead of the golf comeback that appeared to be approaching before the March crash, Woods faces a very different kind of public return. His early September court appearance will put him before a judge as prosecutors continue pursuing the DUI case that has kept him away from public view for months.
