President Donald Trump made a striking prediction about Tiger Woods’ status for the upcoming Masters Tournament—just one day before the golf legend was involved in a rollover car crash near his Florida home that led to his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence.
During an appearance on Fox News’ “The Five” on Thursday, March 26, Trump declared that Woods would not compete in the prestigious tournament at Augusta National, which begins April 9. The president revealed that while Woods would attend, he wouldn’t be teeing off with the field.
“I love Tiger, but he won’t be there. He’ll be there, but he won’t be playing in it,” Trump said during the interview.
The president’s comments proved eerily prescient when, just over 24 hours later, authorities arrested Woods following a rollover crash near his Jupiter Island, Florida, mansion shortly before 2 p.m. ET on Friday, March 27.
According to Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek, Woods was traveling at high speed when he attempted to pass a pickup truck pulling a pressure-cleaner trailer on a two-lane road. The 50-year-old clipped the back of the trailer, causing his Range Rover to roll onto its driver’s side. Woods crawled out through the passenger door and appeared “lethargic” to responding officers, showing signs of impairment.
Woods cooperated with a breathalyzer test, blowing “triple zeros,” but refused to take a urine test. Authorities believe he was impaired by medication rather than alcohol. He was charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test—both misdemeanors.
Neither Woods nor the other driver suffered injuries in the collision, and no passengers were in either vehicle. Woods was held at Martin County Jail for eight hours in accordance with Florida law before posting bail around 11 p.m. Friday.
Trump addressed reporters in Miami on Friday following the crash, calling Woods “a very close friend of mine” and “an amazing man.” The president, who awarded Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019 during his first administration, said he felt “badly” for the golf legend.
The incident casts serious doubt over Woods’ ability to compete in the 2026 Masters, a tournament he has won five times—in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2019. The 15-time major champion had recently expressed cautious optimism about participating in the season’s first major championship after making his return to competitive golf at the TGL finals on Tuesday, March 24.
Woods had been candid about his recovery struggles in recent days. After the TGL match, he acknowledged his body doesn’t heal like it once did, telling reporters he had been trying to get ready but that his body “doesn’t recover like it did when it was 24, 25.”
Woods sat out the entire TGL season while recovering from a ruptured left Achilles tendon he suffered in March 2025, followed by his seventh back surgery in October 2025—a lumbar disc replacement procedure. He joined his Jupiter Links teammates in Match 2 of the finals, though his team lost 9-2 to the Los Angeles Golf Club. The appearance marked his first competitive action since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The golf legend has battled numerous injuries in recent years, most notably a near-death car accident in February 2021 outside Los Angeles. That single-vehicle crash left Woods with severe injuries to his right leg, including fractures to his tibia and fibula and a shattered ankle, requiring multiple surgeries. Woods later revealed that surgeons nearly had to amputate his right leg. The injuries from that accident have significantly limited his ability to compete at the highest level.
Woods, who is dating Vanessa Trump—the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr.—told reporters at Riviera Country Club last month, where he hosted the Genesis Invitational, that a Masters appearance was not “off the table.” However, he wouldn’t commit to a specific playing timetable.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time, Woods ranks second all-time in major championships behind only Jack Nicklaus, who has 18. Woods has accumulated 82 PGA Tour victories, tied with Sam Snead for the most all-time.
Friday’s arrest marks another troubling chapter in Woods’ personal struggles. In 2017, authorities arrested him in Jupiter after police found him asleep behind the wheel of his parked vehicle. Woods said he had taken a bad mix of painkillers. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving, paid a $250 fine, and attended DUI school. He also crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and tree near his Windermere, Florida, home around 2:30 a.m. on November 27, 2009, an incident tied to a widely publicized personal scandal.
The crash and arrest leave Woods’ immediate future uncertain. Whether he appears at Augusta National in two weeks—either as a competitor or spectator—depends on how legal proceedings unfold in Martin County.
The Masters Tournament will proceed as scheduled on April 9, though golf fans worldwide now wonder whether they’ll see the five-time champion don the green jacket once again or simply watch from the sidelines, as President Trump predicted.