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Tiger Woods

PALM BEACH. — Tiger Woods plunged the sporting world into shock after he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in the early hours of yesterday.

The former world No 1 was pulled over by police on Military Trail South of Indian Creek Parkway near his home at 3am (EDT) in Jupiter Island, Florida, and booked into Palm Beach County Jail at 7:18am. He was released from custody at 10:50am.

He faces a charge of driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.

Police have yet to specify which, if not both.

Florida’s legal limit for blood alcohol is .08.

This is the second time that Woods has been caught driving under the influence.

In November 2009, two days after the National Enquirer broke the story that Woods had been cheating on his then-wife Elin Nordegren with a New York City nightclub manager, Woods left home after taking an Ambien and crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant, a tree and several hedges. However, he wasn’t charged in that incident.

Following that incident, several other women came forward, saying they too had affairs with the professional golfer — tarnishing his previously pristine image. A month later, he entered a 45-day therapy programme and apologised for his actions, saying ‘I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to’. Woods and Nordegren divorced a little less than a year later, in August 2010. The former couple have two kids together — a daughter named Sam, born in 2007, and a son named Charlie, born in 2009.

Since the scandal, Woods’ career has been in a free fall as he’s failed to remain a major competitor and advertisers have stopped sponsoring him.

The 14-time major winner, who dated American skier Lindsey Vonn from 2013 until 2015, has dropped to 876th in the world rankings after years of injury problems and has not played competitive golf since withdrawing from the Dubai Desert Classic at the start of February with back spasms.

He underwent fusion surgery on his spine and recently said he would not be back on the golf course for at least three more months as he undergoes intense rehabilitation in a bid to save his faltering career. The 41-year-old said: ‘’My surgeon and physiotherapist say the operation was successful.’’

Shannon Sharpe said it was a bad day.

“(I’m) sad, disappointed. I don’t know if we’ve ever had a greater athlete fall so, so far from glory.

‘’Some things I can have sympathy and I can empathise with, but this is not one of the offences — because with the amount of money that he has? He could hire a driver.

‘’He should never put himself in that situation.

“If that’s what you want to do, fine. But don’t put other people in harm’s way.

‘’When you drink and drive, you get behind the wheel, you put other people’s lives at risk. Why would you do that, Tiger? And looking at the mug shot, it’s just so disappointing.’’ — Agencies.