Tiger Woods’ appearance leaves fans concerned as golf legend makes rare public showing in the wake of DUI arrest: ‘Like a shell of his former self’

Fans were stunned to see golf legend Tiger Woods looking ‘a shell of his former self’ as he made a rare public appearance in the wake of his DUI arrest.

The 15-time major champion has kept an extremely low profile since his rollover crash back in March, which resulted in him being charged with two misdemeanor counts of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, after cops found two opioid tablets in his pocket.

He has since spent time in rehab in Switzerland but has not been seen publicly since arriving back in America – until Tuesday night.

Woods appeared in a pre-recorded video message for fellow golf icon Notah Begay III, paying tribute to the ex-pro as he received the Payne Stewart Award.

The clip was broadcast on The Golf Channel and was quickly shared around social media, as fans were left stunned to see Tiger after a few months out of the spotlight.

One wrote: ‘Tiger looks a shell of his former self, sadly,’ while another added: ‘What’s going on with the Big Cat? Looks different for sure.’

A third said: ‘Looking sober, but damn he’s aged,’ while a fourth wrote: ‘Tiger looks unrecognizable.’

Others praised the 50-year-old, who is in a relationship with Vanessa Trump. One said: ‘Nice to see him not high for once.’ Another said: ‘He looks skinnier!’

Earlier this week – and five months on from the rollover crash – it was revealed that Woods will make his first courtroom appearance over the matter on September 8.

The date had reportedly been postponed a number of times amid prosecutors continuing the investigation process in South Florida.

He will be represented by attorney Douglas Duncan. Woods had waived his arraignment and requested a jury trial over the matter.

His most recent hearing was held on August 4, following a July ruling that allowed prosecutors to obtain Woods’ hospital records that were connected to the crash.

Martin County circuit court judge Darren Steele approved an agreement between the State Attorney’s Office and Woods’ legal team that allowed prosecutors to request records from the hospital that treated the PGA legend following his crash.

Back in May, Steele approved a similar agreement granting prosecutors access to Woods’ prescription medication records from his Palm Beach pharmacy between January 1 and his March crash.

Earlier on Tuesday, Woods had also broken his month-long social media silence to react to the PGA Tour’s radical changes to their end-of-season scheduling.

In a post, he backed the huge news and wrote: ‘The conclusion of the season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there. Today’s announcement is a result of the hard work and passion of our players. Excited to usher in a new era of match play on the @PGATOUR.’

Woods was closing in on a return to golf and was widely expected to compete at The Masters in the days before his crash in March.

He hasn’t competed since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland and has since undergone surgery to repair a torn Achilles as well as a seventh back procedure.

The latest saga is the fourth time he has been in trouble after being behind the wheel of a car.

He was arrested for another DUI in 2017 after police found him slumped in his car in Florida with five drugs in his system, including two painkillers.

Woods was later involved in a similar crash in 2021 in California, which shattered his right leg after he was trapped under the vehicle. He needed multiple surgeries in order to recover from his injuries and has struggled with the troubling heel issue plantar fasciitis ever since.

He also crashed into a fire hydrant in November 2009 as he tried to flee his Florida home after his then-wife Elin Nordegren discovered his infidelities.