World No. 1 golfer and two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler was handcuffed and charged with a felony on Friday morning ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
Scheffler, 27, allegedly attempted to drive around the scene of a fatal car crash en route to Valhalla and was booked into a Louisville, Kentucky jail.
The Dallas, Texas native has been charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic, according to Jefferson County court records.
Scheffler was released from jail after being deemed a low risk and has been ordered not to have any contact with the alleged victim or on-scene witnesses. He's scheduled to go back to Jefferson District Court on May 21.
Scheffler was able to return to Valhalla for the tournament and arrived shortly ahead of his 10:08 tee time for the second round. Pure chaos.
What the Heck Happened?
The start of the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship was delayed on Friday morning after a pedestrian was fatally struck by a shuttle bus outside the entrance to the club around 5:09 AM. The pedestrian was a worker with a PGA of America vendor, the organizer of the PGA Championship said in a statement. Given the situation, police presence was understandably heightened near Valhalla Golf Club.
When Scheffler arrived at the venue, he attempted to drive around the scene of the accident, according to Jeff Darlington of ESPN, who witnessed and filmed the event on his phone. It's worth noting that Scheffler and the other 155 players in the field for this week's tournament were told by the PGA of America they were allowed to enter the premises to prepare for the second round.
"A police officer instructed Scheffler to stop, but Scheffler continued to drive about 10 to 20 yards toward the entrance,” ESPN said.
When Scheffler stopped his vehicle near Valhalla's entrance, the police officer reportedly screamed at Scheffler to exit the car. Once Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer pressed the two-timer major winner against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs.
Darlington shared his video of the incident on social media following Scheffler's arrest.
“There's nothing you can do. Right now he’s going to jail,” an officer at the scene can be heard saying in Darlington's video.
In the first seconds of the video, Scheffler asked Darlington to "please help me."
ESPN's Dave Fleming was also on-site with Darlington to witness Scheffler's arrest while trying to enter Valhalla themselves. While speaking with ESPN this morning, Fleming said Scheffler was driving an official PGA Tour vehicle when he turned into Valhalla's entrance gates. As the car continued to slowly pull forward, the arresting officer grabbed onto the car. When Scheffler rolled down the passenger window, the officer reached into the vehicle, opened the door, pulled Scheffler out, and arrested him.
Darlington added that Scheffler told the officer he was unaware he was a police officer, as they were wearing yellow rain gear instead of their usual outfits. However, the officer was frustrated with the situation and didn't appear to know who Scheffler was.
"It was heated," Fleming said. "It was charged in the moment."
According to police reports, Scheffler "refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground." The officer was taken to the hospital to treat minor injuries.
Steve Romines to the Rescue
Attorney Steve Romines, who's representing Scheffler, quickly arrived to speak with the media and shed light on the situation. Romines stated Scheffler was directed by one police officer to go around the accident and enter the facility, but the arresting officer was unaware of that.
"They were directing traffic, he held his media credential out and was going in like they’d been instructed to,” Romines said. "He was trying to get into the facility when he was arrested. Scottie didn't know what was going on."
"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."
Before teeing off at Valhalla for the second round, Scheffler posted a statement to his Instagram to address the incident.
“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,” Scheffler said in his post. “I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.
"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."
“This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones,” the PGA of America said.
Louisville police officers are expected to release a statement following a video review of the incident, per a senior law enforcement official.
Back to Golf
Scheffler entered the 2024 PGA Championship as the clear-cut favorite, coming off four victories in his last five starts. The 2023 PGA Tour Player of the Year opened the tournament with a round of four-under 67, placing him in a tie for 12th with three days to go.
While Scheffler is known for being the best player in professional golf at the moment, he's widely considered by his peers and competitors to be an even better person than he is a golfer.
“Scottie Scheffler is one of the most squeaky clean, upright, outstanding, well-respected players out here on the PGA tour,” David Dusek, a senior writer at GolfWeek said. “He is someone who is known for having a very calm, level head on the golf course and he keeps that when he’s off the golf course as well."
Given Scheffler's outstanding reputation, it's hard to imagine he acted out and purposely disregarded police officers' instructions. What's easy to imagine, though, is Scheffler completely blocking out the noise and thriving despite everything going on.
On his first hole of the second round, Scheffler rolled in an easy birdie putt, suggesting he wasn't fazed in the slightest by Friday morning's endeavor. 'The Boogeyman' will very likely be in the mix for the Wanamaker Trophy regardless of his charges.
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