Scottie Scheffler arrested, released before second round of PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer, was arrested on Friday morning after arriving at Valhalla Golf club ahead of his second round of the PGA Championship.
The arrest came after a traffic stop led to a confrontation with a police officer. Scheffler, 27, was charged with four counts including assault, and reckless driving. According to reports, the incident occurred after Scheffler tried to negotiate his car around traffic leading into the golf course.
Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
.@JeffDarlington explains what he saw this morning as World No. 1 golfer, Scottie Scheffler, was detained by police following a misunderstanding about traffic flow ahead of the PGA Championship. pic.twitter.com/OLnYu1BA5g
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 17, 2024
Louisville PD has released Scottie Scheffler's mugshot this morning following his arrest.
Charges against Scheffler, per multiple reports:
-Second-degree assault of a police officer
-Third-degree criminal mischief
-Reckless driving
-Disregarding traffic signals from an officer… pic.twitter.com/avDtqHai81— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 17, 2024
After he was released, Scheffler arrived at the golf course around an hour before his tee time, reportedly driven from the police station to the golf course by the President of Valhalla Golf Club.
Scheffler won The Masters for a second time last month and his wife gave birth to their first child two weeks ago.
A brief warm-up including a short time on the range was followed by an errant opening tee shot on the par-5 10th hole. The brief error golf was short-lived, as the world number one put the morning’s chaos behind him by hitting his approach shot to four feet and making the putt for birdie.
The incident followed an unrelated tragedy that also occurred outside the gates of Valhalla. Earlier in the morning, a worker for one of the on-course vendors was run over and killed by a shuttle bus.
Just prior to teeing off, Scheffler released a statement via his Instagram page that read:
“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.
“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 morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family…
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2024