Police dashcam footage has emerged of Tiger Woods struggling to keep his balance after being asked to walk in a straight line.
The footage, shot after police officers found him asleep in his car by the side of a main road with the engine running, shows the world’s most successful golfer stumbling and wobbling as he attempts to tread along road markings.
The video, obtained and broadcast by US media last night, also shows Woods slurring his words as he is asked to say the alphabet and failing to keep his eyes on a light being held up by one of the policemen who arrested him.
Woods was detained on suspicion of driving under the influence when he was found by the side of a main road heading away from his home in Jupiter, Florida, about 90 miles north of Miami. Breathalyser tests later showed no signs of alcohol in Woods’s body.
The golfer claims that a mixture of painkillers was responsible for the episode. “I understand the severity of what I did, and I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said in his statement. “I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn’t realise the mix of medications had affected me so strongly.”
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Woods revealed last week that he underwent back surgery in April for the fourth time. Christopher Fandrey, the Florida policeman who detained Woods, noted that the golfer said he takes four types of prescription drugs, including Vicodin, an opioid painkiller, and Vioxx, an anti-inflammatory.
Vicodin, which has highly addictive properties, was also noted by police who found Woods when he crashed his car while fleeing his home in 2010 after his then wife, Elin Nordegren, discovered that he had been cheating on her.
The golfer, who has won 14 majors in his career and is considered by many to be the game’s greatest player, never fully recovered from the scandal, suffering from a dip in form coupled with a string of injuries.
Yesterday details of the police report into his latest incident were published. He was described as “cooperative” and “confused” with “extremely slow and slurred speech”. Both tires on the driver’s side of Woods’s Mercedes were flat and his right indicator was on at the time of his arrest.