An opiate and a mobile phone: the keys to Tiger Woods's new accident

BarcelonaLess than 10 days before the Augusta Masters –one of the four major tournaments of the golf season– is set to begin, all eyes remain on five-time Grand Slam champion Tiger Woods, and not precisely for a sporting reason. Last Friday, the 50-year-old golfer was involved in a car accident in Jupiter Island (Florida). Woods was uninjured, but was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of a substance and refusing to submit to a urine test to detect if there were any prohibited substances. In the first breathalyzer test, the American tested negative.

Woods was carrying two pills of hydrocodone, a medication used to treat severe chronic pain, but which can also be used illicitly, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It is a component derived from opium that acts as a painkiller. At the time of his arrest following the car accident, the American golfer had "glassy eyes" and walked in a "lethargic" manner during the arrest, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office, where he was held for eight hours before being released on bail. The information released also adds that he spoke "unusually" with the officers and had dilated pupils. Woods argued to the authorities that he was looking at his mobile phone and changing the radio when the accident occurred.

The incident occurred last Saturday around two in the afternoon –local time in Florida–, when Woods tried to overtake a cleaning van towing a small trailer. While attempting the maneuver, he had to swerve to avoid the vehicle and it overturned sideways. Now, the doubt is whether the athlete will be at the Masters in Augusta, which begins on April 9. After almost two years inactive, there were hopes of seeing him compete again.