Tiger Woods has entered a no-contest plea to a reckless driving charge after his car overturned in a crash near his home in Florida.
He appeared in court to agree to a reduced charge after he was initially charged with driving under the influence. A judge ordered that his driving licence be suspended for five years.
Woods 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 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.
The golf great, 50, was arrested after his SUV clipped a truck and rolled over on its side in a beachside residential road on Jupiter Island in March.
A sheriff’s report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket and he showed signs of impairment. A breathalyser test came out negative but he refused to take a urine test.
Woods, who had previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving under the influence, appeared in court in Martin County, just north of Palm Beach County, on Wednesday.
Neither Woods nor the person in the other vehicle were injured in the crash, according to officials, but his Land Rover caused 5,000 dollars (£3,700) in damage to the truck, according to a police report.
Woods told a deputy he was looking down at his phone and changing the radio station when he hit the truck.
He is among the most influential figures in golf, but his career has been derailed by multiple back and knee operations, car crashes and dependence on pain medication.
He has been involved in four crashes over the years. He took a leave from the golf tour after a 2009 crash and again after the latest crash and has yet to return to tournament play.
He left the US 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. He remained as chairman of the tour’s Future Competition Committee after his arrest. He did not take questions during the appearance.
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