LOS ANGELES, 30 May 2017:
Former world number one Tiger Woods said alcohol was not a factor in his DUI (driving under influence) arrest yesterday and instead blamed an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications.
Woods, who is currently sidelined from competition after having his fourth back surgery in April, said in a statement he took full responsibility for his actions and apologised to his family, friends and fans.
“I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications.
“I didn’t realise the mix of medications had affected me so strongly.”
Woods, who is second on the all-time list with 14 major titles, was booked at 7:18am (1118 GMT) and released several hours later on his own recognisance, according to an online police report.
This is not the first time Woods has made headlines away from the golf course. His private life unravelled in late 2009 over allegations about affairs with several women and ultimately led to the end of his marriage.
Those allegations followed a bizarre early morning car accident outside his Florida home that rapidly ballooned into a fully-fledged sex scandal which turned his previously unblemished life and career upside down.
The scandal ultimately cost Woods a number of lucrative endorsement deals, while other sponsors shifted away from using him in marketing but did not end their contracts with him.
Woods, whose current sponsors include Nike, Bridgestone, Hero, Kowa, Upper Deck, and Monster Energy was ranked 12th on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid athletes in 2016, with total earnings of US$45.3 million, despite missing much of the year recovering from back surgery.
A 79-time winner on the PGA Tour who was world No 1 for a record 683 weeks, Woods lost form in recent years due to injuries and the mastering of a new swing while his ranking has plummeted to 876 after his long spell on the sidelines.
He has competed in only 19 events on the PGA Tour since the end of 2013, recording just one top-10 during that period along with seven missed cuts and three withdrawals.