Tiger Woods returned to social media on Memorial Day with an emotional tribute to his late father, Earl Woods.
“My father was a Special Forces operator with two tours in Vietnam and 20 years of service,” the golf legend wrote via Instagram Stories Monday.
“To all those like my father, we all say thank you for your sacrifices,” he continued. “Without them we wouldn’t have the greatest country on earth.”
Tiger’s girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, re-shared the message on her personal account.
Earl — who famously coached his son to a historic career in golf — passed away 20 years ago in May 2006 from a heart attack. He was 74.
Tiger’s poignant social media upload is his first since his March DUI arrest. The athlete, 50, rolled his Land Rover in Jupiter Island, Florida, on March 27.
The five-time Masters Tournament champ — who has been in several vehicle accidents over the years — allegedly clipped the back of a pressure cleaner truck while attempting to pass it, which caused his own vehicle to flip.
Tiger was seen crawling out of the vehicle following the dramatic crash, and authorities later said he showed “signs of impairment” despite showing a negative breathalyzer test.
The athlete declined a urinalysis test, for which he was later charged with refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Per a police report previously obtained by Page Six, authorities alleged they found “two white pills inside [his] side pant pocket” — later determined to be hydrocodone, a narcotic pain reliever.
A mugshot showed what authorities at the scene allegedly observed — the athlete’s pupils were “bloodshot and glassy” and “extremely dilated” in the image.
In body cam footage, 11-time PGA Player of the Year was observed yawning, hiccuping and failing a sobriety test.
Following his arrest, Tiger was incarcerated at the Martin County Jail and released in the early morning hours of March 28.
The golf icon faced a judge days later, pleading not guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
He subsequently posted a statement via X, writing, “I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health.”
“This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery,” he added.
Tiger — who is set to appear in court on July 7 — left a month-long rehabilitation stay at a treatment facility in Zurich last month, and was seen landing his private plane in Palm Beach, Florida.
On May 12, the athlete’s lawyer, Douglas Duncan, appeared in Martin County Court in Florida and a judge ruled the world famous golfer was required to submit prescription records from the time frame of the accident to prosecutors.
A source told People in April that Tiger “just wants to get better in all areas of his life” following the incident.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source pagesix.com ’
