Professional golfer Harold Varner III was arrested for driving while impaired in North Carolina on Thursday night, according to a report from WBTV in Charlotte.
The TV station reported that the Varner was driving in south Charlotte “while subject to an impairing substance” and registered a .16 BAC – twice the legal driving limit.
Varner has posted bond and is due to appear in court on Jan. 19, per WBTV.
The 33-year-old golfer defected from the PGA to LIV Golf in August 2022, a move he said was “too good a financial breakthrough” to turn down at the time.
“The truth is, my life is changing,” Varner wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. “The opportunity to join LIV Golf is simply too good of a financial breakthrough for me to pass by. I know what it means to grow up without much. This money is going to ensure that my kid and future Varners will have a solid base to start on.
“Your opinion of me may change because of this announcement. No lie, that’ll be a tough thing to deal with. But I haven’t changed – I’m still me. I promise you that.”
At last year’s Master’s, Varner ripped his LIV peers and CEO Greg Norman for pushing the narrative that they’re growing the game of golf rather than chasing the money.
“They’re full of s–t. They’re growing their pockets,” Varner said in an interview with the Washington Post. “I tell them all the time, all of them: You didn’t come here to f–king grow the f–king game.”
Varner claimed his first win in the Saudi-backed league at LIV Golf DC 2023 in May.
He finished seventh in the LIV standings this year and was traded from Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats to Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces in early December.
