PGA Tour pro-turned-LIV golfer Harold Varner III was arrested Thursday night near Charlotte, North Carolina on suspicion of driving while impaired.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department took Varner into custody around 7:30 p.m. after responding to reports of an impaired driver. Online jail records show the 32-year-old faces charges of driving while impaired and was released after posting a $500 bond.
Court records indicate Varner underwent a breathalyzer test which registered his blood alcohol content at .16, twice North Carolina’s legal limit of .08. He is scheduled to appear back in Mecklenburg District Court on January 19th to face the DWI charge.
Neither Varner nor representatives from LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed circuit which Varner joined in August 2022, have commented on the arrest yet.
In a statement announcing he was leaving the PGA Tour back in August, Varner acknowledged his controversial decision was financially motivated.
“The truth is my life is changing. The opportunity to join LIV Golf is simply too good of a financial breakthrough for me to pass by,” he wrote.
Professional golfer Harold Varner III was arrested and charged with DWI on Thursday night in south Charlotte.
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The North Carolina native won the LIV Golf Invitational outside Washington D.C. in September, claiming a $4 million first prize. That was his first professional win since 2016.
Varner said in August that the large paychecks would help provide for his family’s future while also allowing him to expand his charitable foundation which introduces golf to youth and underprivileged communities.
“This money is going to ensure that my kid and future Varners will have a solid base to start on and a life I could have only dreamt about growing up,” his statement read. “It’ll also help fund many of the programs I’m building with my Foundation.”
Despite the controversy over where the LIV Golf tour’s funding comes from, Varner affirmed his identity hadn’t changed. “I haven’t changed – I’m still me. I promise you that,” he wrote after announcing he was joining LIV last summer.
Thursday’s DWI arrest comes at an inopportune time for both Varner and the upstart tour he left the PGA for, which begins its 2023 season next month.
