Tiger Woods arrested early Monday on DUI charges in Florida
Tiger Woods was arrested early Monday on charges of DUI, or driving under the influence, near his Jupiter, Florida, home.
Woods was taken into custody at approximately 3 a.m. on Military Trail, south of Indian Creek Parkway, and was booked at approximately 7:15 a.m. Monday morning.
Woods was released at approximately 10:50 a.m. Monday morning on his own recognizance.
WPTV in West Palm Beach was the first to report the story.
Woods released a statement Monday afternoon, blaming the incident on prescription drugs:
“I understand the severity of what I did and I take full responsibility for my actions. I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn’t realize the mix of medications affected me so strongly. I would like to apologize with all my heart to my family, friends, and the fans. I expect more from myself, too. I will do everything in my power to ensure this never happens again. I fully cooperated with law enforcement, and I would like to personally thank the representatives of the Jupiter Police Dept. and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for their professionalism.”
Woods last played competitive golf in Feburary, when he shot a first-round 77 at the Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour. He withdrew ahead of the second round, citing lower back spasms. Subsequently, he then pulled out of planned starts at the Genesis Open and The Honda Classic, his hometown event.
On April 20, Woods announced he had a fourth back surgery in just over three years, a spinal fusion procedure to relieve nerve pain in his back. Woods said he would be out at least six months but recently wrote he fully plans to return to competitive golf.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.