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Tiger Woods was released on bail.
Image: dpa
Tiger Woods leaves prison after a car accident and subsequent arrest. How realistic is another comeback for the 50-year-old?
Exhausted and with a blank look on his face, golf superstar Tiger Woods left the Martin County jail in the US state of Florida in the passenger seat of a black SUV. Following his re-arrest after a car accident, the sporting future of the 15-time major winner is more open than ever. Whether the 50-year-old will be able to celebrate a comeback at the legendary Masters from April 9 to 12 in Augusta is hardly conceivable after this incident.
What happened? Hours before his dismissal, the best player in the history of golf was involved in a car accident a few kilometers from his home on Jupiter Island and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of drugs. A breath alcohol test on Woods showed a value of zero. However, he did not want to take a urine test, according to the Martin County Sheriff.
The sheriff described Woods' condition after the arrest as lethargic. "We believe that was due to the substance he was under the influence of." He had been charged with impaired driving and refusing a test in connection with the accident. And again, there is now a police photo of Woods that shocks his fans.
Woods had to stay in jail for at least eight hours before being released on bail. Neither he nor his management have yet commented on the accident. The PGA Tour, for which Woods is leading a commission working on a strategy for the future, has also not yet released a statement.
According to the sheriff's office, Woods is said to have started to overtake a vehicle in an off-road vehicle at high speed that wanted to turn at the same time. Woods' off-road vehicle struck the trailer of the other vehicle, flipped onto its side and skidded across the roadway. Woods was uninjured in the accident.
The incident is reminiscent of an event from 2017, when Woods was also arrested in Florida on suspicion of drugged driving. Woods said at the time that it was "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medication". The police photo of the badly marked golf star shocked the public at the time. Woods then underwent inpatient treatment. Many insiders predicted the end of the Woods era.
But the man who spent 683 weeks at the top of the world rankings fought his way back step by step - with success. Woods made history in 2019: At the age of 43, he celebrated one of the greatest comebacks in sport by winning his fifth title at the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.
But the injuries to his body, which had been battered over the years, caught up with him again. Further operations on his back and knees followed - and the next car accident. In February 2021, he drove off the road in Los Angeles and rolled over several times. He suffered compound fractures to his right leg and ankle.
Woods later said that even an amputation had been considered. He spent three weeks in hospital and then, by his own account, a further three months in a hospital bed at his home in Florida. According to the police, the golf star showed no signs of being under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medication at the time.
Woods made his last major appearance at the 2024 British Open. After tearing his Achilles tendon in the spring of 2025, he was ruled out for the season - and then had another operation on his back last fall.
"This body... It doesn't recover like it did when I was 24, 25. That doesn't mean I'm not trying," said Woods. After the new incident, a return to Augusta National Golf Club is not very realistic, at least as a player.
29.03.2026, 12:51
