Miami (AFP) – Prosecutors in Tiger Woods’s driving under the influence case will be able to review the golf superstar’s hospital treatment following a rollover car crash in March, the judge overseeing the case has ruled. Martin County Court documents show Judge Darren Steele last week approved the agreement between prosecutors and defense attorneys that will allow prosecutors to request records from the Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital, where Woods was treated after the March 27 crash.
Prosecutors had already been granted similar access to Woods’s prescription drug records. In both cases, the information can be reviewed only by prosecutors and designated law enforcement officers and experts, as well as Woods’s defense team. Woods pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence in a March 27 road accident in Florida, where his vehicle clipped a truck pulling a trailer and flipped on its side while attempting to overtake on a residential road. Authorities determined the 15-time major champion had not been drinking alcohol but found that he appeared to be impaired.
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Woods, who has undergone multiple back operations and surgeries on severe leg injuries suffered in a 2021 California car crash, had two pills containing the opioid painkiller hydrocodone in his pocket. He refused a urine analysis and was charged, jailed, and released on bond. A pre-trial hearing in the case scheduled for July 7 has been rescheduled for August 4.
Since the crash, Woods has traveled outside the United States to seek treatment at an inpatient facility, reportedly in Switzerland. He made his first public appearance since his arrest at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship last week, introducing tour chief executive Brian Rolapp as Rolapp announced a new competitive structure for the tour to take effect in 2028. As chair of the Future Competition Committee, the 50-year-old Woods played a key role in shaping the new two-tier system featuring a PGA Tour Championship Series and a Challenger Series, giving golfers a chance to secure a pathway to the elite circuit.
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