World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was arrested early Friday morning after an incident with an officer outside Valhalla Golf Club, the site of the PGA Championship. Scheffler was not involved in a separate traffic incident outside Valhalla that ended in a pedestrian fatality.
Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic. The charges include three felonies and one misdemeanor (second-degree assault on a police officer).
Scheffler was released at 8:40 a.m. ET. He arrived back in Valhalla at 9:12 a.m. ET and headed to the training grounds. He will tee off at 10:08 a.m. ET.
The incident was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.
Breaking News: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained in handcuffs by police after a misunderstanding over traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club. The police officer tried to attach himself to Scheffler’s car,…
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
“Breaking News: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has been detained in handcuffs by police after a misunderstanding over traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club,” Darlington wrote on X.” The officer attempted to tie himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla and then began yelling at Scheffler to get out of the car. As Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer pushed Scheffler immediately into the car and put him in handcuffs. He is now being held in the back of a police car.”
Darlington indicated that Scheffler drove approximately “10 to 20 yards” after being told to stop. Darlington reported that Scheffler tried to explain that he did not know the man who told him to stop was a police officer. Darlington said Scheffler did not raise his voice during the confrontation.
According to Darlington, the situation quickly escalated and Scheffler was loaded into a police vehicle. Darlington reported that a police officer told him, “There’s nothing you can do, he’s going to jail.” Darlington later reported that an officer asked him to identify Scheffler.
Darlington reported the incident on “SportsCenter” shortly before 7 a.m.
Darlington later posted a video of the incident:
Steve Romines, an attorney representing Scheffler, told reporters that Scheffler held up his media credential and entered the golf course as the players were instructed.
“Apparently there had been a traffic accident, or maybe even a fatal accident down the street, and that had changed the traffic patterns, and he was not aware of that,” Romines said. “I think the officer who was directing traffic may not have been part of the traffic division of the event. That’s why the miscommunication happened there and that’s why we’re here.”
“There are eyewitnesses that he did nothing wrong,” Romines told WDRB.
Scheffler was later booked at 7:28 am
The start of the second round of the PGA Championship was delayed 80 minutes due to an accident outside Valhalla Golf Club that left a pedestrian dead, according to Louisville police. In the rainy hours before dawn, traffic around Valhalla was at a standstill. Players were allowed to enter the course in preparation for the tournament.
Scheffler was scheduled to turn at 8:48 am
The PGA of America announced that the tournament will resume at 8:35 a.m., with a delay of one hour and 20 minutes.
