TIGER WOODS TOLD POLICE 'I WAS JUST TALKING WITH THE PRESIDENT ' IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CRASH

Newly-released bodycam footage appears to show Tiger Woods on the phone just moments after his car crash in Florida, before casually telling officers: ‘I was just talking with the president.’

Donald Trump is a long-time friend and ally of the golfer and it didn’t take long for the Commander-in-Chief to publicly back Woods after his recent DUI arrest.

The footage captures Woods wandering away from officers while still mid-call, with one cop trying to beckon him back.

‘We’ll get you to hang down here with us, please,’ the officer says, as Woods lingers nearby. Seconds later, the golfer wraps things up with a polite sign-off before returning to inform the cops of his chit-chat with POTUS.

Woods was filmed yawning repeatedly in the police car after his arrest (Picture: Martin County Sheriff’s Office)

The crash itself had occurred just a few minutes earlier on a residential road in Jupiter Island, where Woods had been attempting to overtake another vehicle at speed.

According to his own account, distraction played a role. ‘I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden… boom!’ he told officers at the scene, describing the moment his Land Rover clipped a pressure washer trailer and rolled onto its side.

Police found him kneeling on the grass verge as they arrived. Investigators later said he had been travelling at ‘high speeds’ in a 30mph zone, though the exact figure wasn’t confirmed.

The golfer flipped his 4×4 (Picture: Martin County Sheriff’s Office/AP)

Officers noted that Woods’ eyes were ‘bloodshot and glassy’ and his pupils ‘extremely dilated’, while a search uncovered two white pills marked ‘M367’ in his pocket.

The pills were identified as hydrocodone, an opioid used to treat severe pain. When asked about medication, Woods replied: ‘I take a few.’

A breathalyser test showed no alcohol in his system but Woods refused to provide a urine sample. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, alongside property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

During a field sobriety test, officers said he was ‘limping and stumbling’ and was ultimately deemed unfit to drive. Sheriff John Budensiek later said that Woods had shown ‘signs of impairment’ at the scene, adding that investigators believe some form of medication or drug had been involved.

He also described Woods as ‘cooperative, but was not trying to incriminate himself.’

Further footage shows Woods in the back of a police car. He yawns repeatedly, hiccups and at one point appears to fall asleep, all while remaining silent.

Woods took a field sobriety test but refused to provide a urine sample (Picture: Martin County Sheriff’s Office/AP)

In another moment caught on camera, Woods appears to reach for something in his pocket. ‘No, nothing in your mouth, please,’ an officer tells him.

Woods then produces a tube of chapstick and asks: ‘Am I allowed a lick of this?’ The reply is blunt: ‘Right now, no. It’s humid outside, you don’t need lip balm.’

Trump, for his part, has been firmly supportive of the 50-year-old. Speaking after the arrest, he said: ‘I think he’s doing great, he’s doing good. He tested negative for alcohol, as you know, and he is under a tremendous physical pressure from his various ailments… the back and the leg.’

He continued: ‘He lives a life of pain. He has a lot of pain. He’s an amazing guy. He’s an amazing athlete. He does have pain. He doesn’t have an alcohol problem, but he does have pain.’

Trump also described Woods as ‘a very close friend of mine,’ saying: ‘He’s an amazing person, an amazing man. But some difficulty. I don’t want to talk about it.’

- Steve Charnock

SIZZLING SCHAUFFELE GRABS FIRST ROUND LEAD AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

USA TODAY Sports 

 A rampaging Xander Schauffele powered to the top of the PGA Championship leaderboard on Thursday, firing a record-equaling opening round nine-under 62 at Valhalla Golf Club, as the Olympic champion looked to atone for a shock loss at the .

Out with the early starters Schauffele set the target that no one in the 156-player field could match. Tony Finau and Sahith Theegala came the closest, returning six-under 65s to sit three back.

Not even the two hottest golfers on the planet, world number one Scottie Scheffler and number two Rory McIlroy, could muster a challenge on a day of ideal scoring conditions at the defenseless Valhalla Golf Club.

McIlroy, coming off back-to-back PGA Tour wins, turned in a scrappy five-under 66 to settle in four off the pace. New dad Scheffler, with four victories in his last five starts including a second Masters Green Jacket, lurks one further adrift after returning a 67.

Schauffele, who held a final round two-stroke lead at Quail Hollow on Sunday before losing by five shots to McIlroy, was a man on a mission in Louisville, matching the men's major championship low score for a second time.

Despite an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo and a proven ability to go low, the 30-year-old American has yet to win a major and is without a win since the 2022 Scottish Open.

While there is a lot of golf to be played, the world number three signaled he plans to end both droughts with a brilliant error-free opening round that matched his first round effort at last year's U.S. Open.

Only two other men have returned 62s at a major, Rickie Fowler, also in the first round at the 2023 U.S. Open, and Branden Grace, in the third round at the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

"I'll take a 62 in any major any day," said Schauffele. "Not winning makes you want to win more, as weird as that is.

"The top feels far away, and I feel like I have a lot of work to do."

Coming off titles at the Zurich Open and Wells Fargo, McIlroy carried that momentum onto the first tee. He rolled in a six-footer for a birdie on his opening hole, the par five 10th, then picked up a second at the 13th to briefly join a crowd at the top of the leaderboard.

But the Northern Irishman, who announced on Monday that he had filed for divorce, stalled after the early burst. He took a bogey at the 17th before hitting his stride again after the turn by carding four birdies, including three straight from the fifth.

"Not a pretty 66," summed up McIlroy, who won the last of his four majors in 2014 on the same Valhalla layout. "I sort of felt like it was pretty scrappy for the most part.

"I thought I got a lot out of my game today.

"Not really happy with how I played but at least happy with the score."

After taking three weeks off to be with his wife, who was about to give birth, there were worries Scheffler would need time to shake off some competitive rust before returning to his dominating ways.

He wasted no time dispelling those concerns, holing out from 167-yards on the par four first for an eagle and adding a birdie at the fourth to get to three-under.

But the 27-year-old American could not sustain that level, mixing three birdies with a pair of bogeys over the next 14 holes.

Defending champion and LIV Golf standard-bearer Brooks Koepka, bidding to become the tournament's first repeat winner since he retained the title in 2019, looked a threat to add a fourth Wanamaker trophy to his collection after returning a 67 highlighted by an eagle, birdie and par finish to join Scheffler in a group at four-under.

Tiger Woods, who collected one of his 15 major titles at Valhalla in 2000 with a playoff win over Bob May, opened with a one-over 72 but lamented a sloppy bogey, bogey finish to his day.

This is Woods' first event since the Masters. Last month the injury-ravaged golfer had earned a tournament-record 24th consecutive made cut at Augusta National, although finishing last among those who played the weekend.

"It's just that I just don't play a whole lot of competitive rounds," said Woods. "I haven't played since the Masters.

"So it's a little bit different than being at home and playing a flat Florida course."