World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with four offenses, including one felony, prior to the start of the second round of the PGA Championship on Friday morning.
He was released from custody after being booked at the Louisville (Ky.) Metro Department of Corrections, his mug shot taken while wearing an orange jail-issued jumpsuit.
The arrest came as Scheffler attempted to enter Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville as he drove in a player-marked courtesy car. The 27-year-old was attempting to drive around the site of a fatal accident that occurred, per Louisville Metro Police, at 5:09 a.m. ET when a shuttle bus struck and killed an adult male pedestrian as he was crossing the road near the front gate of Valhalla.
Scheffler, who was not involved in the accident, allegedly failed to yield to a command to stop before a police officer grabbed on to the golfer’s car.
Scheffler drove about 10 to 20 yards before stopping his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla, per an ESPN reporter who was on the scene. Once he opened the car door, an officer put him against the car and placed him in handcuffs, ESPN reported.
The charges are second-degree assault on a police officer, a felony, as well as third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregrading signals from officers directing traffic.
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers,” Scheffler told ESPN after he arrived back at Valhalla. “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.”
The PGA of America said the victim in the accident was an employee of one of the tournament’s vendors.
The incident with Scheffler occurred around 6 a.m. Scheffler was booked at 7:28 a.m. and released at 8:40 a.m. He arrived back at Valhalla at 9:12 a.m. and entered the clubhouse.
The second round was scheduled to start at 7:15 a.m. but was delayed until 8:35 a.m. as traffic snarled outside the course and players had difficulty entering the grounds. Per PGA Communications, all starting tee times were delayed 80 minutes from the originally published time.
Scheffler initially was scheduled to tee off at 8:48 a.m. The two-time major winner then was slated to tee off at 10:08 a.m.
In the first round, Scheffler shot a 4-under 67 to enter the second round in a tie for 12th place. Xander Schauffele is the leader after a first-round 62.
–Field Level Media
