Tiger Woods police report shows golfer asleep in vehicle, failing to pass field sobriety tests

Tiger Woods was asleep in his Mercedes-Benz when police came upon him in the early hours of Memorial Day, and he told the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s officer that he had been coming back from playing golf in Los Angeles.

That’s the start of the police reports released Monday by the sheriff’s office detailing multiple officers’ interactions with Woods in the traffic stop that ultimately resulted in the 14-time major champion being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and for illegally parking.

When officers came upon Woods, driving in the opposite direction of his house and restaurant at approximately 3 a.m., he was asleep in his car, which was parked on the side of the road. The right blinker was on, and Woods’ foot was on the brake. The officer had to awaken Woods, who spoke at a slow pace with slurred words. Woods told the officer he was coming back from the West Coast and did not know where he was, later changing his story. Woods asked the officer how far he was from his Hobe Sound, Florida, home. He also admitted he was taking several prescription medications, including Vicodin, a powerful painkiller.

In co-operation with the officers on the scene, Woods stepped out of the vehicle to perform field sobriety tests. He failed all of the field tests, including reciting the alphabet backwards. On that particular test, Woods said he understood what was being asked of him before saying, “Yes, recite the entire national anthem backwards.” Ultimately, after several attempts, he completed the task.

A second officer’s report confirmed Woods did blow a 0.000 on a breathalyzer test and complied with a requested urine test.

Late Monday, Woods issued a statement apologizing for the arrest, blaming it on an “unexpected reaction to prescribed medication,” and vowing to prevent something like this from happening again.

Woods will be arraigned on the two charges stemming from this incident on July 5.

Read the full report here:


Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.