Tiger Woods to change not guilty plea in DUI case, court docs show

The 50‑year‑old golfer, whose name still fills stadiums, faced two misdemeanor charges—DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test—stemming from a March 27 crash on South Beach Road near his Jupiter Island home.

The crash narrative is stark. Deputies say Woods was traveling at high speed, attempted to pass a pickup truck towing a pressure‑cleaning trailer, clipped the trailer’s rear and the vehicle rolled. At the scene, officers noted blood‑shot, glassy eyes, dilated pupils and slow movements—behaviors they interpreted as possible impairment. Two hydrocodone pills were recovered from his pocket; a breathalyzer showed “no alcohol in his system,” yet Woods refused a urine sample that could have confirmed the presence of medication. Prosecutors therefore entered the case without the toxicology data a jury typically demands, a fact that legal analyst Robert Ellis flagged as a potential hurdle.

Woods’ legal team, led by attorney Douglas Duncan, filed a notice on Tuesday indicating a “change of plea” conference. The hearing, originally slated for Sept. 8, was advanced to Sept. 2, likely to give both sides more time to negotiate before a trial. Judge Darren Steele, who has overseen the case, previously approved agreements granting the State Attorney’s Office access to Woods’ prescription records from a Palm Beach pharmacy spanning January through March. Unlike his 2017 Palm Beach DUI arrest—resolved through a diversion program and a guilty plea to reckless driving—Woods cannot repeat that route; the diversion option was exhausted after the earlier case. He did, however, complete a six‑week rehab stint in Switzerland following the March incident, a factor his counsel may press for leniency.

Without definitive drug test results, the prosecution’s strongest evidence rests on officer observations and the two pills found in Woods’ pocket. The likely bargaining chip is Woods’ recent treatment record and the fact that he posted bail of $1,150 promptly, underscoring a willingness to cooperate.

The ultimate plea remains undisclosed, but the courtroom drama signals more than a legal footnote. As the judge renders a decision later Wednesday, the remaining unknowns will shape both Woods’ personal trajectory and the broader conversation about how high‑profile athletes navigate misdemeanor prosecutions.