Tiger Woods Is Leaving the Country for Treatment

'Ongoing ... scrutiny and public exposure create significant barriers to his care'
Posted Apr 2, 2026 6:12 AM CDT
Judge Lets Tiger Woods Get Treatment Outside US
Tiger Woods of the Jupiter Links Golf Club makes a practice shot before a match, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.   (AP Photo/Reinhold Matay)

Tiger Woods just got the court's OK to leave the country for medical treatment. A Florida judge on Wednesday approved the golfer's request to enter a residential treatment program abroad, after his attorney argued he needs intensive, private care that doctors say can't be effectively provided in the US, reports ESPN. "Ongoing ... scrutiny and public exposure create significant barriers to his care and would result in setbacks and an inability to fully engage in treatment," wrote Woods' lawyer Douglas Duncan. The judge granted the motion after a teleconference with prosecutors, according to court records.

The move comes a day after Woods pleaded not guilty to charges of misdemeanor DUI and refusing a drug test tied to a rollover crash in Florida and announced he is "stepping away" from golf to focus on his health. In a court filing, his doctor cited a "complex clinical presentation" and said the unnamed facility will offer round-the-clock monitoring and the ability to quickly adjust treatment, reports People. An arrest affidavit said Woods was lethargic, sweating, and had bloodshot, glassy eyes; he told a deputy he'd taken prescription pills but no alcohol, and two hydrocodone pills were found in his pocket. Woods, who has a history of prescription drug issues and multiple surgeries, asked for privacy as he seeks "lasting recovery."

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