Last Friday, Tiger Woods was arrested for driving under the influence in Florida. His arrest came after he caused yet another car crash, and yet another rollover crash. Tiger is 50 years old with a well-documented problem with pills and a history of serious injuries and multiple surgical interventions. My point is that it’s past time for Tiger to have a dedicated driver. After four major car crashes (that we know of) and two rehab stints, some people hope that the DUI arrest is finally Tiger’s rock bottom. It doesn’t sound like Tiger feels it’s his rock bottom though.
Tiger Woods’ desire for privacy is stopping him from hiring a driver, a source tells PEOPLE. Following his arrest for driving under the influence (DUI) near Jupiter Island, Fla., on Friday, March 27, a local source tells PEOPLE exclusively that the professional golfer has opted not to hire a driver for himself — despite previously being involved in other car accidents.
Woods, 50, “doesn’t want anyone to watch over him or know what he is doing,” the source says. “And he thinks he is fine to drive.”
The athlete was charged with DUI with property damage, as well as refusal to submit to a lawful test, after he was involved in a rollover crash on Friday. The source adds that Woods prefers to keep his life private and dislikes negative attention.
“He is not a social butterfly and prefers to hang around his home with his kids, or hitting balls, or playing video games,” the source says. “He despises public scrutiny.”
A representative for Woods did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Woods shares two teenage children, daughter Sam, 18, and son Charlie, 17, with ex-wife Elin Nordegren. He is now dating Vanessa Trump, and the source tells PEOPLE that Vanessa, 48, seemingly fits easily into his world.
“Vanessa has settled right into their dating life due to the similarities in their current situations with kids, great weather out their door, golf in their lives, and school projects for their kids,” the source says.
You can despise public scrutiny AND hire a driver? For the love of God, I get that Tiger is one of the biggest secret squirrels in America, but the way to deal with the “public scrutiny” of crashing your f–king car yet again is simply hiring a driver and making the driver sign an intense NDA. This reeks of “I’m not going to change my behavior until I really hurt someone.”
Meanwhile, People Magazine also had a bizarre exclusive about Tiger’s relationship with Vanessa Trump, aka Don Trump Jr’s ex-wife. Vanessa and Tiger have dated for more than a year and a source describes them as “in love” and connected through golf. Tiger’s kids play golf, and Vanessa’s kids do as well. Sources also emphasize that Vanessa isn’t around all the time, which makes it sound like they’re not super-serious about each other and she just lets him do whatever he wants.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND ** Washington, DC – President Donald J. Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to golfer Tiger Woods on May 6, 2019, in the Rose Garden of the White House. Pictured: Donald Trump, Tiger Woods BACKGRID USA 6 MAY 2019 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Miami, FL Tiger Woods poses for a mugshot after his March 2026 DUI arrest in Miami. Pictured: Tiger Woods BACKGRID USA 27 MARCH 2026 BYLINE MUST READ: Martin County Sheriff’s Department / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Black History Month reception at the White House Featuring: President Donald Trump, Tiger Woods Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 20 Feb 2025 Credit: CNP/INSTARimages
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- Black History Month reception at the White House Featuring: Tiger Woods Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 20 Feb 2025 Credit: CNP/INSTARimages
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- Ribbon cutting ceremony at the the Smilow/Woodland TGRl Learning Lab Featuring: Tiger Woods Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States When: 08 Sep 2025 Credit: William Wade/INSTARimages
He’s an addict. He wants to hide what he does from everyone. That’s a very common behavior in addiction. Shame is really powerful over rational thought.
My first thought was addiction behavior, and second was that it lets him keep up his sneaky link behavior as well. One of his two rehab visits was for s*x addiction. I would guess he’s not “sober” in any sense of the word.
He needs to retire, never mind the come back. He needs to get help now and he has had a successful sports career. Time to move on.
Most importantly he needs his license suspended forever. Driving is a privilege, not a right. At some point he’s going to kill a bystander
He needs help and he is a horrible human.
The driver could be security or a sober companion but he doesn’t make good decisions. Not wanting anyone around is code for being a scumbag. Who was with him?
If he’s not a social butterfly then he would only need a driver a few times a month. If he doesn’t want people knowing his business just get the driver to sign an NDA. What is he doing or where is he going that he doesn’t want it getting out in the press?
He’s an alcoholic. And the reason why he doesn’t want a driver is because he doesn’t want the extent of his problem to be known. The irony is…everyone already knows he’s an alcoholic. Everyone except him.
He’s more of a prescription junkie. Dilaudid, Oxys and Vicodin. blew 0.00 on the breathalyzer.
I’m sure he lives with a great deal of pain and given what he did to his leg in the last crash we know of, it’s pretty remarkable that he’s functional at all.
but I am sure that he nodded off at the wheel.
For God’s sake, call an Uber
And can we talk about Vanessa’s relationships with men with addictions?
He was doomed to failure by the way he was raised. Add in all the injuries and he’s a walking cliche. I bet Elin thanks her lucky stars every day that she got away from this mess.
Nope
He wasn’t eternally ‘doomed to failure’ because of his childhood.
Many many people have difficult, even abusive childhoods, and are raised by jerks, and try to deal with their issues, heal, do better and not cause chaos, destruction, harm.
He’s not a teen or a 20 something, he’s 50 – a grown a** man – a father.
He had enormous success, he had / has enormous wealth. He’s had plenty of opportunities to seek help, get therapy, get counseling for substance abuse. Or hire support staff to put guardrails up for him to keep him from putting OTHER people at risk.
You’d think any one of his previous car accidents would have served as a wake up call. Or having a child. He’s chosen to act like he’s acting. Repeatedly.
He *could* do better.
So far, he’s *chosen* not to.
His deal is pills, not alcohol, but it hardly matters since it seems he feels entitled in his impervious bubble of fame or former greatness or whatever impervious bubbles are made of (where do I get mine?) to do whatever he wants, regardless of the cost to himself or others.
Anent Vanessa, whatever their relationship, it’s not her job to monitor his activities (“she just lets him do whatever he wants.”).
Well, if his license is suspended, which it should be, then he won’t have any choice but to get a driver. What a scumbag narcissist, he could have killed people or himself. He’s had two stints in rehab, but was it just for his leg injuries or for his substance abuse problems? Because that’s what the real issue is, he’s an addict. .
I’m reading this as he still has a sex addiction and goes to see his side pieces
If he ends up in jail due to a DUI, he’ll have PLENTY of people to watch over him.
He’ll keep driving himself…till he kills someone.
It’s inevitable. ) :
Nothing says “despises public scrutiny” like being a well known sports celebrity and getting in multiple high profile ROLLOVER car accidents! He doesn’t want a driver bc he still has dirt/sleazy behavior to hide (in addition to the obvious substance abuse). What will it take for him to get his license PERMANENTLY suspended?!? He’s a true narcissistic menace to society and it’s not a question of if but when and how severely he will harm another person or persons with his reckless driving while under the influence..
How does he get away with this driving? Anybody else would be jail and deprived of a license.
Again from having worked for inordinately entitled / rich / public people: proper security DGAF if you’re drunk, if you’re cheating on your wife, if you’re a scumbag, if you’re on pills, if you’re a sex addict. They really don’t police personal behaviour. NDAs are totally standard and if that’s your job, it’s just a job. Drivers are anonymous. They’re not in photos, they’re not close protection, their job really is to stay with the car, no one sees them through the windows, which are tinted for that reason, their contracts are issued by the company which employs them and also leases out the car on which they are trained for defensive / evasive driving, etc…. Like Diana’s driver. Whom everyone accused of being drunk. There is no reason on earth why he’s doing this except that he’s borderline suicidal? Athletes are often *required* to hire drivers, because they are under contract to large conglomerates that take out insurance policies on their lives / performance / injury-free play and the easiest risk to eliminate, in a list of bog-standard risks, is accidents. The irony of this dude not wanting attention, so, crashing his car, for want of privacy, is so convoluted, it’s….. something. I’m convinced he’s not long for this world.
Hire a driver before you kill someone. Or of you really can’t admit you have a problem, remember that lots of wealthy people have drivers
Many years ago, 1998 to 2000, I worked at a law office that represented Tiger when he was first making it big. It was a memorabilia case with Jack Nicklaus as a co-plaintiff. When he came to the office, the conference room they were in for meetings always had to everything closed off so no one could see in, think large conference room overlooking Biscayne Bay next to the reception area because the view was incredible. We also were instructed to not look at him. When they had lunch, they would rent out the whole restaurant so no one else was there so I’m not sure this is something new for him or necessarily related to addiction.
So he was always a jerk? Got it. Thanks for the great intel, though!
Because he’s an addict and doesn’t want somebody who can snitch about the location of his coke/heroin/whatever dealer or whoever he’s meeting up for a hookup behind his partner’s back. Addiction is always depressing to watch people get consumed by, but Elin was smart to get out while she could. They’ll always drag you down with them.