Miami (AFP) – A Florida judge granted golf superstar Tiger Woods’s request to leave the United States to seek “comprehensive inpatient treatment” after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence. Woods’s attorney, Douglas Duncan, submitted the motion to travel on Wednesday, citing the 50-year-old golfer’s urgent need for an “intensive, highly individualized and medically integrated program” as well as privacy from media and public scrutiny. Martin County Court Judge Darren Steele granted the motion after a teleconference on the matter.
In requesting approval for the travel, Duncan said Woods’s doctor had recommended the out-of-country treatment facility “based upon the Defendant’s complex clinical presentation and the urgent need for a level of care that cannot safely or effectively be done within the United States, as his privacy has been repeatedly compromised.” Ongoing medical scrutiny and public exposure create significant barriers to his care and would result in setbacks and an inability to fully engage in treatment.
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Woods said in a statement posted to his social media accounts on Tuesday that he was “stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health.” He added, “This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.” Four days earlier, Woods was arrested on suspicion of DUI after crashing his SUV into a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck near his Jupiter Island home. Woods pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges of DUI with property damage and refusing to submit to a lawful test on Tuesday.
A breathalyzer test showed no alcohol in his system, but he refused a urine analysis after the crash last Friday. In the accident report from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, authorities said Woods “stated he was looking down at his cell phone and changing the radio station and did not notice the vehicle in front of him had slowed down.”
Sheriff’s deputies said in the report that Woods was observed “sweating profusely” and described his movements as “lethargic and slow,” noting his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and he was “limping and stumbling to the right” while walking. Police also said in the report that Woods was found with two hydrocodone pills, an opioid painkiller, and appeared unable to safely drive a vehicle when he was apprehended.
Asked about his medical condition, the report said, “Woods advised he’s had seven back surgeries and over 20 operations on his leg…Woods advised he has a limp and his ankle seizes while walking.” Woods was previously arrested on suspicion of DUI in 2017 after police found him asleep at the wheel of his damaged car, with the engine running. He said he had taken a mix of painkillers, eventually pleading guilty to reckless driving and entering a treatment facility to seek help with managing prescription drugs.
In February of 2021, Woods underwent emergency surgery for multiple compound fractures in his right leg and a shattered ankle after a rollover crash in California. He returned to competition with a 47th-placed finish at the 2022 Masters but has not competed in a top-level golf event since the 2024 British Open. Woods also underwent surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon in March 2025 and had further back surgery last October.
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