Tiger Woods faces one big question after DUI arrest in Florida, legal expert says

Tiger Woods was thrust back into the limelight last week when he was arrested on a DUI charge following a car crash in Florida in which authorities said he was driving at “a high rate of speed.”

Woods took a breathalyzer test at the scene and blew “triple zeroes,” but refused to give a urine sample, according to Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek.

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Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026.  (Jason Oteri/AP)

Legal expert Donna Rotunno, a lawyer and the host of the Fox News podcast “Crime & Justice with Donna Rotunno,” told Fox News Digital that authorities may have a tough time trying to get a conviction with the DUI charge, but could make an example out of him for allegedly failing to submit a urine test.

“What’s interesting about Tiger is that they’re never going to be able to prove that he was driving under the influence because he blew zero-zero and they have no chemical test,” she explained. “So, they can’t even tell you what was in his system that made him impaired. Obviously, you can have a car accident without being impaired. You can be driving too fast and have a car accident, and so, I think they’ll have a very difficult time with the DUI charge.

“However, the chemical refusal, that’s going to be where they kind of ‘get him.’ What’ll happen there just depends on, and what I’m reading about this county is that this county is pretty strict. The question is going to be will they try to make an example out of him because he is a name and because this is not his first situation. Because his first DUI case was more than five years old, I don’t think there’s any enhanced penalties for him because nine years have gone by, but they will definitely take into consideration the fact that he has a background in this arena and I think that will affect whatever they offer him.”

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Tiger Woods was driven from the Martin County Jail after being arrested for driving under the influence following a car crash on March 27, 2026, in Stuart, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Woods was arrested in May 2017 on a DUI charge in Florida and months later, agreed to enter a DUI program. He pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge in October 2017 and received one-year probation, a fine, mandated community service time and was forced to undergo regular drug screening.

In February 2021, Woods was involved in a serious rollover crash in the Los Angeles area. Officials said at the time he was driving over the posted legal limit but wasn’t charged with a crime.

Fox News Digital asked Rotunno if law enforcement would try to get Woods to take some accountability for his actions given his now lengthy history. The car crash he was involved in could have been much worse.

“If he would have hurt someone else, all bets are off. If he would have hurt somebody else, they would have come after him,” Rotunno said. “Not only that, but think about the civil lawsuits he’d be facing.

This handout photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office shows Tiger Woods, in Stuart, Florida, Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

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“I definitely think that they’ll take that into consideration. I mean, this car tipped over. He’s lucky he didn’t get himself hurt again. I mean, my God. Thankfully, those cars are built like tanks and he was able to get out the other way. But think about the impact on your body, somebody that’s been through all the surgeries and all the ailments that he has and the impact of that car rolling over like that on the driver’s side of the vehicle and the fact that he was able to get out without any crushed limbs. It’s amazing.”

Woods hasn’t commented on his arrest.

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