Scottie Scheffler looked somber while wearing an orange jail shirt in a mugshot photo after the world’s No. 1 golfer wasarrested outside of Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship on Friday.
The 27-year-old pro was booked and processed at 7:28 a.m. ET into metro corrections on four charges — second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officer directing traffic, according to ESPN.
Scheffler was arrested “after refusing to stop at a traffic barricade trying to get into Valhalla. That traffic barricade was set up after a pedestrian was hit and killed by a shuttle bus,” a reporter for WDRB, a local Louisville outlet, wrote on X.
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“The officer who asked Scottie Scheffler to stop at a police barricade has minor injuries after Scheffler refused to stop and dragged the officer with his car,” the reporter added in a follow-up post. “The barricade was set up after a pedestrian was hit and killed outside of Valhalla golf course at 5am.”
Scheffler was detained by police around 5:45 a.m. while trying to get into the golf course amid a separate, unrelated incident involving an accident and a fatality.
As the two-time Masters champion was pulling into the course, a police officer started banging on the side of the car to get him to stop.
ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the ordeal, said Friday morning on “SportsCenter” that the scene involving Scheffler and the police unfolded “very quickly, very rapidly and very aggressively.”
Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
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“When he didn’t stop, the police officer attached himself to the vehicle, Scheffler then traveled another 10 yards before stopping the car. The police officer then grabbed at his arm, attempting to pull him out of the car before Scheffler eventually opened the door, at which point the police officer then pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him up against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs,” said Darlington, who also filmed the incident, in which Scheffler appeared to utter, “Please help me.”
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“Scheffler was then walked over to the police car, placed in the back in handcuffs. Very stunned about what was happening. Looked toward me as he was in those handcuffs and said, ‘Please help me.’ He very clearly did not knowwhat was happening in the situation.”
Scheffler was originally scheduled to play round two at 8:48 a.m. ET. The tournament was pushed back over an hour due to the accident and traffic.
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He arrived back at Valhalla at 9:13 a.m. on Friday and began his second round shortly after 10 a.m.
Scheffler released a statement in the wake of Friday’s events.
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today,” Scheffler told Darlington in the message.
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“Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.”
His Louisville attorney, Steve Romines, also issued a statement Friday morning.
“In the early hours of the morning in advance of his tee time Scottie was going to the course to begin his pre round preparation. Due to the combination of event traffic and a traffic fatality in the area it was a very chaotic situation He was proceeding as directed by another traffic officer and driving a marked player’s vehicle with credentials visible. In the confusion,Scottie is alleged to have disregarded a different officer’s traffic signals resulting in these charges. Multiple eyewitnesses have confirmed that he did not do anything wrong but was simply proceeding as directed. He stopped immediately upon being directed to and never at any point assaulted any officer with his vehicle. We will litigate this matter as needed and he will be completely exonerated,” the statement read, per Sports Illustrated.
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Scheffler returned to the golf circuit this week following the birth of his first child with wife Meredith, a son named Bennett.
“I can’t really describe the feeling,’’ Scheffler said Tuesday before the start of the tournament. “At home it was a nice time to reflect a little bit on my career so far and where my life has gone. I married my high school sweetheart and I always wanted to play professional golf, and now I’m here. I was sitting there with a newborn in my arms and the green jacket in the closet. A pretty insane feeling.’”
Scheffler opened the PGA Championship with a 4-under 67 on Thursday. He eagled on the first hole.
