The demise of Tiger Woods has taken its latest and perhaps the most serious turn, with confirmation that the golfer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol in Florida in the early hours of Monday morning. As a police mug shot of Woods gained huge traction online – his face puffy and eyes the epitome of sadness – the epic career heights when the 41-year-old won 14 major championships and broke records with stunning regularity never seemed so far away. Woods, once a sporting phenomenon, is now making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Woods’s details were issued by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office, as is customary for such incidents in the United States. The golfer was arrested close to his home in Jupiter Island at 3am, with his release time stated as 10.50am. There has been no detail provided as to where he was going or coming from, nor the level of substances in his system, but a full arrest report should appear on Tuesday.

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“He was arrested for suspicion of driving under influence at around 3am, and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail,” a spokesman for the Jupiter Police Department said. “He is no longer at the jail.”

Woods said alcohol was not involved and an unexpected reaction to prescription medicine led to his arrest.

“I understand the severity of what I did and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Woods said in the statement. “I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn’t realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly.

“I would like to apologize with all my heart to my family, friends and the fans. I expect more from myself too. I will do everything in my power to ensure this never happens again. I fully cooperated with law enforcement, and I would like to personally thank the representatives of the Jupiter Police Department and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office for their professionalism.”

The episode is one of the most epic falls from grace in sporting history, on and off the course, which essentially began with another traffic incident. Woods infamously crashed his car into a hydrant outside his home in November 2009, which proved the precursor to a string of revelations emerging regarding extra-marital affairs. He was fined $164 for careless driving.



Woods and his wife, Elin, had their divorce confirmed the following year. A golfer who had burst on to the scene as a fresh-faced and brilliant teenager, to the point where he had endorsement deals worth tens of millions, found himself shunned by some of his commercial partners amid serious damage to his reputation.

Woods stood before an audience and issued a public apology for the actions which cost him his marriage and led to a two-month spell in a sex addiction clinic. His career was to suffer, partly on account of this personal turmoil but also a series of injuries. A recent back operation was the fourth Woods had undergone on the same area since early 2014. Woods was last seen on a golf course in February, when he withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic after just a single round. His management cited back spasms as the cause of that. In the past two years, Woods has made only three tournament starts with back problems a recurring theme.

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Woods was once not only a dominant golfing figure – he has claimed 79 PGA Tour titles and was world No1 for an unprecedented total of 683 weeks – but an individual who transcended sport. At the time of his near eight-hour spell in a police cell, Woods was ranked 876 in the world with his last major success arriving almost nine years ago.

Only last week, Woods issued an upbeat statement in which he insisted he “unequivocally” wants to play competitive golf again as he continues recuperation from his latest back surgery. “I haven’t felt this good in years,” Woods said. “The long-term prognosis is positive. My surgeon and physiotherapist say the operation was successful. I’m walking and doing my exercises, and taking my kids to and from school. All I can do is take it day by day. There’s no hurry.”

Extra time out of the public spotlight has probably never looked so appealing.