Woods crash bodycam footage released by police

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Watch bodycam footage of Tiger Woods' arrest

Police have released body camera footage showing Tiger Woods after he clipped a truck and rolled his car in Florida last month.

The 15-time major winner, 50, can be seen co-operating with authorities and then hiccuping while he is being driven away in the back of the police car.

He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and submitted a written plea of not guilty via his lawyers on Tuesday.

He was also charged with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

Woods has been given permission by a judge to seek treatment overseas, and said he will be stepping away from professional golf to focus on his recovery and health.

Woods told an officer that he was "just talking to the president" on the phone, according to the footage released by the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

It is not clear if he was referring to US President Donald Trump, although Woods has been in a relationship with Trump's former daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump, for more than a year.

Trump later told reporters: "I feel so badly. He's got some difficulty. He's a very close friend of mine, he's an amazing person, an amazing man."

Image caption,

Tiger Woods can be seen hiccupping as he sits in the back of a police car

In the full video, Woods, who was wearing a blue polo shirt, shorts and dark sunglasses, was filmed calmly kneeling on one knee and telling the officers: "I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden, boom."

After an initial search, an officer left Woods and went to speak to witnesses at the scene on Jupiter Island, with one saying: "He kept coming. I was getting ready to turn in, he was coming fast.

"I don't think he was looking, that's the thing."

The bodycam footage also showed Woods' long-time manager and friend, Rob McNamara, and a member of Woods' security team, arriving at the scene, ESPN reported., external

When Woods asked for his golf clubs to be recovered from his vehicle, the officer responded: "I understand, they're worth more than my house."

After McNamara joked that "the putter is worth more than all of our houses", Woods explained to the officer that he had used the putter to win 14 majors.

Nobody was injured in the crash, but Woods had to crawl out of the passenger door to free himself. He passed a breathalyser test but refused a urinalysis test for other drugs, according to Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek.

In the arrest affidavit, an officer wrote Woods was "sweating profusely", his pupils were "extremely dilated" and his movements were "lethargic and slow".

Woods told officers he had not drunk alcohol that day but when asked if he had taken any prescription medication, Woods replied "I take a few", while adding he had done so earlier in the morning.

He then listed the medication, which was redacted from the footage.

He was told officers suspected his "normal faculties are impaired" by an "unknown substance". Authorities then found two white pills in his pocket, which were identified as hydrocodone - an opioid used to treat pain.

Woods, who remained still while officers searched him and placed him in handcuffs, was asked if he had anything else on his person. He said he did not.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Woods had turned down the role of United States Ryder Cup captain when the biennial tournament takes place in Ireland in 2027.

Meanwhile, six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo says Woods must take accountability for his actions, adding: "This is a serious thing he's done."

Faldo, 68, also feels the PGA Tour's statement on the incident is "predictably weak".

He said: "I feel sorry for Tiger that he's living 24/7 in pain.

"There are two sides to this right now: there's one side like 'let's care for Tiger', and then there's got to be a responsibility and accountability side as well.

"[The PGA] showed the tour will look after him, as they always have done, and then you've got Jack [Nicklaus, 18-time major champion] saying it's tarnished the entire sport.

"I've got a feeling that if he disappears and comes back in a couple of months, everything will carry on as normal.

"I'm not sure if that's right."