Glassy eyed and swaddled in an absurd blanket, Tiger Woods could barely keep his eyes open as he sat, cuffed, in the back of a police car last Friday.
At one point he yawned, his mouth stretching wide in what might have been a silent yowl of despair, if only he had the mental capacity to fully understand his predicament.
He had just been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after his Land Rover struck a trailer and flipped clean onto its side.
Once upon a time Woods’s name was synonymous with luminous talent on the golf course. Today he is as known for his shambolic falls from grace, tumultuous divorce, serial infidelity and, now, his relationship with the president’s former daughter-in-law Vanessa Trump.
Last week an inside source told the Daily Mail that the golfer has selected his recovery facility and will be leaving the country ‘imminently’ to begin rehab there.
His girlfriend Vanessa broke her silence to make a public show of support for him this week, sharing a picture of the couple embracing with the simple caption ‘Love you.’ But the rallying Instagram story belies a rather more complicated situation behind-the-scenes.
The source told the Daily Mail: ‘Behind the scenes, it’s been far more rocky, lots of crunch talks and ultimatums from her, “sort your s**t out or I’m gone!” But she’s sticking by him and giving him a chance to get better.’
How many chances, one might wonder, does Woods get?
Woods yawned in the back of a police car after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence
Once upon a time Woods’s name was synonymous with luminous talent on the golf course
Today Woods is known for his shambolic falls from grace, tumultuous divorce and serial infidelity
At the age of 21, Woods became the youngest golfer to win the prestigious Masters title, catapulting him to acclaim and influence. In the years since, over the course of a nearly 30-year career, Woods has netted 15 more majors wins, including four more coveted Masters titles. In 2022, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
But these accolades, however glittering, are now in danger of being well and truly overshadowed not just by last week’s incident but by the fact that it is just the latest in a staggering string of sordid scandals that now trail in Woods’s wake.
He began making headlines for his extracurricular activities off the green in November 2009, when the National Enquirer alleged that the golfer was having an illicit affair with as many as 12 women and that he had a secret girlfriend, New York City club fixture Rachel Uchitel. Uchitel initially denied the report.
Around the same time in late 2009, Jaimee Grubbs, a Californian waitress, told Us Weekly that she had been having a more than two-year affair with Woods. Grubbs reportedly shared hundreds of text messages and a voicemail to Us Weekly, which purportedly included Woods saying that his wife suspected he was having an affair.
On November 27, 2009, he crashed his Cadillac Escalade outside of his Orlando, Florida home, hitting a fire hydrant and his neighbor’s tree. Woods was not charged with DUI but did get cited for careless driving and fined for $164, in addition to having four points added to his license.
Woods did not address the affair allegations at the time but did issue a statement on December 2, apologizing for ‘transgressions’ that he said let his family down, without specifying what these were.
The car crash raised eyebrows when it was reported that his then-wife Elin Nordegren used two golf clubs to break open the car’s rear window. Nordegren told police that she was using the golf clubs to help rescue Woods from the car – but many believed that she shattered the windows in sheer fury at the National Enquirer allegations.
Indeed that report was just the first of many, as multiple women came forward to allege affairs. The National Enquirer later reported that Woods admitted to having affairs with over 120 women while married to Nordegren.
At the age of 21, Woods (left) became the youngest golfer to win the prestigious Masters title, catapulting him to acclaim and influence
Nordegren (left) and Woods (right) divorced in August 2010, with Nordegren receiving a whopping $100 million divorce settlement payout
The speculation grew so rabid that Woods eventually admitted to ‘rampant infidelity’ and made a televised public apology in February 2010, where he apologized to Nordegren, with whom he shares two children, and announced that he would be stepping back from competitive golf for a period.
‘I want to say to each of you simply and directly: I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible, selfish behavior. The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior,’ he said. ‘I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable – and I am the only person to blame.’
Despite Woods’ apology and a stint in sex addiction rehab, Nordegren and Woods finalized their divorce in August 2010, with Nordegren receiving a whopping $100 million divorce settlement payout.
Meanwhile life on the course was taking a brutal toll on Woods’s physical health. He has undergone seven spinal surgeries over the years leaving him with chronic pain and an apparent dependency on pain medication.
In April 2017 he had a major spinal fusion. One month later it was surely no coincidence that he was arrested after being found unresponsive in his Mercedes-Benz, which had visible damage to its front bumper and two flat tires.
While the police reported that Woods did not have alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, he told them he had taken multiple types of prescription medicine, including Vicodin, Dilaudid, Xanax, Ambien and THC.
He was charged with a DUI, but the charge was later dropped as part of a plea deal that saw him plead guilty to reckless driving instead. Following his arrest, Woods checked into a clinic to get help with his apparent dependency on pain medication, which he said had relied on for pain management after his back surgeries and a sleeping disorder.
But Woods’s trouble with cars was far from over. In February 2021 he crashed for a third time, plowing his SUV into the median divide while speeding in Los Angeles, before hitting a tree and flipping over. This time, Woods incurred significant injuries to his right leg and ankle with his bone breaking through the skin, requiring emergency surgery. He did not face any criminal charges.
Last week an inside source told the Daily Mail that the golfer will be leaving the country ‘imminently’ to begin rehab and has even already selected his recovery facility
The golf great flipped his Land Rover clean onto its side during his recent accident
The golfer’s romantic life after his split from Nordegren has proven to be every bit as troublesome as his driving. In March 2023 Erica Herman, filed two lawsuits against Woods. The couple had split the previous year after dating for five years.
In one lawsuit, Herman asked to be removed from the non-disclosure agreement that she had signed in 2017, when they first became romantically involved, citing the Speak Out Act, which nullifies NDAs in cases of sexual assault or harassment.
Herman alleged that Woods sexually harassed her while she was working at his Florida restaurant and also alleged that he pursued a sexual relationship with her, then made her sign an NDA. Claims that Woods denied. Her request was rejected by a judge.
Herman’s other lawsuit accused Woods of breaking an oral agreement with Woods’s trust that would have allowed her to live at one of his properties for five more years after their breakup.
Lawyers for the golfer insisted that Herman was only allowed to live on the property while she was dating Woods. Herman sued, claiming that she was owed $30 million under the Florida Residential Landlord Tenant Act.
She later dropped both lawsuits and in November 2023 retracted her allegations of harassment stating that she was ‘never a victim of sexual abuse of harassment.’
By the end of the following year, reports were circulating that Woods had begun dating Vanessa Trump. In March 2025, Woods made the relationship official the only way couples do these days, with an Instagram post that read: ‘Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side!’
But no one was by the 50-year-old’s side when he failed his sobriety test last Friday. Instead, he cast a beleaguered and diminished figure with the police report noting that he was ‘sweating profusely,’ and claiming that he had not consumed any alcohol or illegal substances.
In March 2025, Woods (left) made his relationship with Vanessa Trump (right) official, the only way couples do these days, with an Instagram post
Life on the course has taken a brutal toll on Woods’s physical health, leading to him undergoing seven spinal surgeries over the years and leaving him with chronic pain
He did, however, admit to taking ‘a few’ prescription medications and refused a urinalysis test. Police found during their search that Woods also had two hydrocodone pills, a powerful opioid, in his pocket at the time of the crash.
Woods told police he called President Donald Trump after his arrest and was later charged with DUI with property damage and a refusal to submit to lawful test.
He spent eight hours in jail before being released on bail. He has pled not guilty to the charges and has also announced that he’ll be stepping away from competitive golf ‘to seek treatment and focus on my health.’
‘I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,’ Woods wrote in a statement on social media.
He added: ‘I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.
‘I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger and more focused place, both personally and professionally.’
It is impossible not to hear in this latest mea culpa an echo of the one he made so publicly 16 years ago when he admitted to his infidelities and shouldered all the blame for his behavior.
Because however sincere his efforts and hopes, the sad truth is Woods has been here before, many, many times.
