Judge allows prosecutors access to Tiger Woods’ medication records in DUI case

A Florida judge opened Tiger Woods’ prescription medication records to prosecutors on Tuesday, while shielding the files from public release in a DUI case that may turn on whether prescribed drugs played a role in the crash.

Judge Darren Steele approved the access request in Martin County circuit court in Stuart, just north of Palm Beach County, after a brief hearing that lasted about four to five minutes. Woods was not in court, but his attorney appeared for him. Prosecutors had subpoenaed prescription records from a Palm Beach pharmacy covering the start of 2026 through the end of March, and the defense argued that Woods has a constitutional privacy interest in his medical information.

The compromise was a protective order that keeps the records out of the public record while allowing only prosecutors, law enforcement officers, state experts and the defense team to see them. Steele signed off after both sides said prosecutors had shown enough relevance to justify the disclosure. That relevance threshold is central in DUI cases that involve possible prescription-drug impairment: courts often have to balance a defendant’s medical privacy against the state’s need to prove whether medication affected driving.

Woods has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence with property damage and refusing to submit to a lawful test. Prosecutors say the March 27 crash happened when Woods’ Land Rover clipped the rear of a truck trailer on Jupiter Island, rolled onto its side and caused about $5,000 in damage to the truck. Woods later crawled out of the SUV, and authorities said he showed signs of impairment. A sheriff’s report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket, and that Woods agreed to a breath test that showed no alcohol but refused a urine test.

The medication records could help prosecutors determine whether Woods had been taking prescribed drugs that might have affected his driving, and whether the case should be treated as an impairment case rather than a simple alcohol-based DUI. Woods has previously said privacy concerns helped drive his decision to seek treatment after the arrest.

The new ruling also echoes Woods’ 2017 Florida DUI case, when he was found unconscious in his Mercedes-Benz. In that case, a toxicology report later showed hydrocodone, hydromorphone, alprazolam, zolpidem and delta-9 carboxy THC in his system. Woods later pleaded guilty to reckless driving, entered a diversion program and completed 50 hours of community service.