No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler arrested after incident outside PGA Championship; returns to Valhalla for start of 2nd round
A chaotic scene outside of the PGA Championship early Friday led to the arrest of top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler, who reportedly faces multiple charges.
The incident began when Scheffler attempted to drive around the scene of a crash near the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the situation.
A pedestrian had been hit and killed by a shuttle bus outside of Valhalla around 5 a.m., police said, delaying the start of the second round of the tournament.
Scheffler allegedly drove onto a median and, upon being told by a police officer to stop, continued to drive another 10 or 20 yards, ESPN reported. Speaking on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” Darlington said an officer attached himself to the car, and that Scheffler drove another 10 yards before stopping.
The 27-year-old Scheffler reportedly then rolled down his window, and the officer attempted to pull him out of the car through it. Upon Scheffler opening the car door, the officer pulled him out and handcuffed him.
Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, which is a felony, along with misdemeanor counts of third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers,” Scheffler said in a statement to Darlington. “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.”
Online inmate records show Scheffler was booked at a Louisville Metro Police Department jail at 7:28 a.m. Police did not immediately respond to the Daily News’ requests for comment.
Scheffler was released at 8:40 a.m., was back at Valhalla by 9:12 a.m., and teed off as scheduled shortly after 10 a.m., picking up a birdie on his first hole.
Scheffler had been in a courtesy car marked to designate him as a player or official of the tournament, according to Darlington, who said Scheffler never tried to use his status to get out of the detainment.
An officer allegedly asked Darlington who they had just arrested, according to the ESPN reporter. Scheffler thought the police officers were security, Darlington said on “SportsCenter,” adding the golfer asked him for help as he was being detained.
“He very clearly did not know what was happening in the situation,” Darlington said. “It moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively.”
Darlington shared footage he shot of Scheffler being escorted, during which an officer tells him, “He’s going to jail, and there ain’t nothing you can do about it.”
A police report shared by ESPN’s Michael Eaves states Scheffler “refused to comply” with a detective’s instructions and “accelerated forward,” dragging him to the ground. The detective was hospitalized with “pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist and knee,” the report reads.
The detective’s uniform pants “valued at approximately $80 were damaged beyond repair,” the report states.
PGA of America identified the man who was killed in Friday’s collision as “a worker with one of our vendors.”
Scheffler, who was born in Ridgewood, N.J., is a two-time Masters champion, including winning this year’s tournament in April.
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