The 14-time major winner was reportedly picked up about 3am on Monday, according to local news station WPTV.

Records from the Palm Beach County Sherriffs Office show Woods was booked on a DUI charge at 7.18am. He was released from custody several hours later at 10.50am.

A mugshot published by the sheriffs office showed Woods wearing a white T-shirt and looking tired and dishevelled.

Woods lives and owns a restaurant in Jupiter, Florida. He has more than $US100 million in career earnings from golf alone through his career.

The former sporting superstar, went through a very public fall from grace and marriage breakdown in late 2009 and 2010 when his extensive marital infidelities were revealed in the media.

In a recent book, Tiger Woods - Unprecedented, The Masters and Me, he wrote of his ongoing anguish about his divorce from former wife Elin Nordegren.

"My regret will last a lifetime. Still, Elin and I are devoted to our kids, and we have become best friends as we care for them. It's all about the kids for us," he wrote.

His most recent comeback attempts have been hampered by injury. Woods pulled out of several tournaments earlier this year due to back problems. He underwent a fourth round of back surgery in April, which was expected to keep him out of action for six months.

Woods enjoyed a clean public image until 2009, when he was cited with careless driving after he crashed his car into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home over Thanksgiving weekend. There was no indication that alcohol was a factor in the crash.

"I'm human and I'm not perfect," he said at the time.

The episode led to the surfacing of marital infidelities, for which he apologised in February 2010. He went to rehabilitation after the accident, reportedly for sex addiction.

with wires