Tiger Woods faces up to one year behind bars if he’s convicted in his new Florida DUI case — the famous golfer’s second arrest for the charge near his Jupiter Island home in less than ten years.
The fallen golf great isn’t likely to get hard time, but he does face a minimum of probation and a slew of conditions like community service and DUI school, experts told The Post.
“Do I think he’s going to be facing jail time? It’s probably unlikely because he’s Tiger Woods,” said Palm Beach criminal defense lawyer Michelle Suskauer. “What is a reasonable sentence in this case, probably probation.”
Suskauer said the fact that no one was injured in the rollover crash of his Range Rover SUV last week could also help him skirt the clink.
Still, that a crash occurred at all doesn’t help his case and neither does the fact that he was previously arrested for a DUI in 2017, she said.
In the earlier case, Woods, 50, was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving and avoided the lock-up after he completed a diversion program.
Another local lawyer, Kevin Peterford, said it helps Woods’ standing that he wasn’t ultimately convicted of DUI in the prior case.
“He doesn’t have a mandatory second DUI exposure,” Peterford said, noting prosecutors can still bring it up as a factor in favor of a harsher sentence.
“The state can bring up, if it were to go to trial, the fact that he had a prior diversion which was alcohol or drug related,” Peterford said.
But Woods’ case will most likely “be resolved by a plea” rather than going to trial, Suskauer said.
This time around, prosecutors are less likely to offer him the chance to plead down to a lesser charge since he was already afforded the move in the earlier case, Suskauer said.
And a DUI conviction comes with a minimum of probation accompanied by “fines, court costs, DUI school, following any recommendations for treatment, community service hours and a victim impact panel,” she said.
The conviction would also force Woods’ car to be taken off the road for some amount of time and his license to be suspended for a year, Suskauer explained.
Robert Malove, a Palm Beach defense attorney, said as part of Woods’ pursuit to remain at the top of his game, he’s forced to play through painful injuries that he takes pills for.
“The guy is under so much pressure to perform at a high level because he’s the greatest,” Malove said.
“And he’s trying to hold it together and unfortunately, he’s so banged up he’s taking medication to manage the amount of pain he’s under.”
“I think he was scheduling to go for another surgery, had knee problems, back problems and probably takes some very strong medication to manage the pain,” the lawyer said.
“I think that’s what happened here. He may have lost count of when he took his medication because he was in so much pain and he may have taken too much.”
Woods had two hydrocodone pills in his pocket when he was arrested, according to a police report.
On Tuesday, Woods pleaded not guilty to DUI and for refusing to take a urinalysis test at the scene. He did agree to undergo several field sobriety tests.
Hours later, the golf legend said he plans to seek treatment in his first public remarks since his arrest.
“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” he wrote in a statement shared on social media Tuesday. “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.
