Tiger Woods awaits trial after drunk driving arrest
PK Press Club contributor Donna Rotunno joins “Fox & Friends First” to discuss Tiger Woods’ drunk driving arrest in Florida, explaining how the golfer’s refusal to submit to chemical testing and his history of drug use may impact prosecutors’ strategy.
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Tiger Woods was thrust back into the spotlight last week when he was arrested for drunk driving 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 displayed “triple zeros” but refused to give a urine sample, according to Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek.
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Golfer Tiger Woods stands near his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Florida, Friday, March 27, 2026. (Jason Oteri/AP)
Legal expert Donna Rotunno, an attorney and host of the PK Press Club podcast “Crime & Justice with Donna Rotunno,” told PK Press Club Digital that authorities may have trouble securing a drunk driving conviction but could make an example of him for allegedly failing to submit a urine test.
“The interesting thing about Tiger is they’ll never be able to prove he was driving under the influence because he did a zero-zero and they don’t have a chemical test,” she said. “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 drive too fast and have a car accident, and so, I think they will have a hard time with the drunk driving charge.
“However, the chemical denial, that’s where they’re going to kind of ‘get him.’ What’s going to happen there depends on, and what I’m reading about this county is that this county is pretty strict. The question is going to be whether they’re going to try to make an example of him because it’s a name and because it’s not his first situation. Because his first drunk driving case was over five years ago, I don’t think not that there are any tougher penalties for him because nine years have passed, but they will certainly take into consideration the fact that he has experience in this area and I think that will affect whatever they offer him.
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Tiger Woods was kicked out of the Martin County Jail after being arrested for driving under the influence following a car accident on March 27, 2026, in Stuart, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Woods was arrested in May 2017 for drunk driving in Florida, and a few months later agreed to enter a DUI program. He pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge in October 2017 and was sentenced to a year of probation, a fine, mandatory community service and was required to submit to regular drug testing.
In February 2021, Woods was involved in a serious rollover accident in the Los Angeles area. Authorities said at the time that he was over the posted legal limit, but had not been charged with a crime.
PK Press Club Digital asked Rotunno if law enforcement would try to get Woods to take some responsibility for his actions, given his long history. The car accident he was involved in could have been much worse.
“If he had hurt anyone else, all bets are off. If he had hurt anyone else, they would have prosecuted him,” Rotunno said. “Not only that, but think of the civil suits he would face.
This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office shows Tiger Woods, in Stuart, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
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“I definitely think they’ll take that into consideration. I mean, that car rolled over. He’s lucky he didn’t get hurt again. I mean, my God. Luckily, these cars are built like tanks and he was able to come out the other way. But think about the impact on your body, someone who’s been through all the surgeries and illnesses that he has and the impact of that car flipping on its side like that driver of the vehicle and the fact that he was able to get out without any crushed limbs is incredible.”
Woods has not commented on his arrest.
