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Shortly after his attorney entered a plea of not guilty, Tiger Woods announced he will seek treatment “to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.”

The golf legend was arrested Friday on suspicion of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a urinalysis stemming from a rollover crash near his home on Jupiter Island, Fla. Hydrocodone pills were found in his pocket and a sheriff’s deputy noted in the arrest affidavit that Woods had bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils and was “sweating profusely” while performing field sobriety tests.

Attorney Douglas Duncan appeared in Martin County, Fla., court Tuesday, waived arraignment on Woods’ behalf, entered not guilty pleas on the two misdemeanor charges and requested a trial by jury.

Hours later, Woods posted a statement to his social media accounts:

“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today. I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.

“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return to a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”

Although he hadn’t committed to playing, Woods had been toying with returning to competition for the first time since 2024 at next week’s Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, where he has won five championships.

Now he won’t even make an appearance, let alone play. Woods was scheduled to attend the opening of “The Patch,” a municipal golf course in Augusta that he helped redesign. He also was expected to attend the annual Champions Dinner on April 7.

“Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament fully support Tiger Woods as he focuses on his well-being,” Masters chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement. “Although Tiger will not be joining us in person next week, his presence will be felt here in Augusta.”

Woods, 50, last competed on the PGA Tour in July 2024 when he missed the cut at the Open Championship, posting an 8-over 79 and 6-over 77 at Royal Troon. It marked his third consecutive missed cut in a major that year.

Widely considered the greatest golfer of all time, Woods has amassed 82 PGA Tour wins, including 15 majors. He has competed sporadically the last four years because of injuries, but has become an increasingly important figure off the course, serving as chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee and serving on the tour’s Enterprises Board, Policy Board and Player Advisory Council.

When arrested Friday, Woods was asked if he had any medical conditions. He replied that he has had seven back surgeries and at least 20 leg operations.

He also has had several car accidents.

Around Thanksgiving 2009, a report that Woods had been in a car accident near his home erupted into a major scandal involving allegations of affairs. It resulted in Woods’ divorce from Elin Nordegren, the mother of his children.

In 2021, Woods was seriously injured in a rollover crash near Rancho Palos Verdes the morning after the Genesis Invitational, which he hosted at Riviera Country Club. He had to be extricated from the wreckage of the Genesis GV80 SUV that he was driving

Woods underwent “a long surgical procedure” on his lower right leg and ankle, according to a statement he released. Doctors inserted a rod into his leg and placed screws into his foot and ankle.

Plea comes hours after sheriff’s report said the golfer showed signs of impairment at the scene of last week’s crash.

Golfer Tiger Woods pleaded not guilty in his driving under the influence case in Florida on Tuesday, hours after a sheriff’s report said he had pain pills and showed signs of impairment at the scene of the crash last week.

The online court docket for Martin County, Florida, showed that Woods entered a written plea of not guilty and planned to waive his appearance during an arraignment hearing next month.

Woods’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy, his pupils were dilated, and he had opioid pills in his pocket when interviewed at the scene of the crash, according to the arrest report released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

The golfer’s movements were slow and lethargic, and he was sweating as he talked to deputies and told them he had taken prescription medication earlier in the morning, according to the report. Woods told deputies he had been looking at his phone and fiddling with the radio before he clipped a truck in front of him, the report said.

Deputies found two white pills, which were identified as the opioid hydrocodone, used to treat pain, in his pocket, the report said.

When asked by a deputy if he took any prescription medications, Woods said, “I take a few.”

Woods’s agent at Excel Sports, Mark Steinberg, has not responded to multiple messages seeking comment.

The golfer was travelling at high speeds on a beachside, residential road on Jupiter Island when his Land Rover clipped the truck and rolled onto its side, according to the sheriff’s office, which noted that Woods had shown signs of impairment.

The truck had $5,000 in damage, according to the report.

The truck driver and another person helped Woods out of his vehicle, with the golfer needing to climb out from the passenger side. Neither Woods nor the truck driver was injured.

During a field sobriety test, deputies noticed Woods limping and that he had a compression sock over his right knee. The golfer explained he had undergone seven back surgeries and more than 20 leg operations, and that his ankle seizes up while walking. Woods, who was hiccupping during the questioning, continuously moved his head during one of the sobriety tests, and deputies had to instruct him several times to keep his head straight, the report said.

“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that Woods’ normal faculties were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle,” the deputy wrote after the tests.

Woods, 50, is the most influential figure in golf and has become as recognisable as any athlete in the world. The first person of Black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he has captivated golf fans with records likely never to be broken.

But his injuries kept him from accomplishing more, including those suffered in a 2021 car crash that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation.

At this latest crash, Woods agreed to a breathalyser test, which showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test, authorities said. He was arrested and released on bail eight hours later.

No one from Woods’s camp or the PGA Tour – he is on the board and is the chairman of the committee reshaping the competition model – has commented since his arrest.

Woods, who has been involved in many crashes over the years, is charged with driving under the influence, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. He is scheduled for arraignment on April 23. Online court records do not list a lawyer for him.

Under a change to Florida law last year, refusing a law enforcement officer’s request to take a breath, blood or urine test has become a misdemeanour, even for a first offence.