On tragic day at PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler became the story after the story

Friday at the PGA Championship should have been all about John Mills. Instead, it was all about Scottie Scheffler.

Mills was the security guard working the championship at the Valhalla Golf Club who died after being hit by a shuttle bus at 5:09 a.m. along Shelbyville Road while attempting to enter the course.

Scheffler was the professional golfer who was arrested and placed in handcuffs after allegedly disobeying an officer’s order when Scheffler’s vehicle was attempting to go around the accident scene at approximately 6 a.m.

Oh yeah, Scheffler is the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world.

“My head is still spinning,” he said after shooting a 6-under par 66 once released from a Jefferson County detention center.

He wasn’t alone on surely one of the most confusing, embarrassing and tragic days in the sports history of Louisville, a city previously popping its buttons over playing host to one of golf’s four major tournaments for the fourth time. And possibly last.

A series of logistical nightmares merged into a tragedy. With one way to enter and exit the club, there has always been a chaotic situation at the entrance for those traveling by vehicle or by foot. The darkness of the hour mixed with the rainy conditions only made matters worse, leading to Friday’s loss of life.

It was similar chaos that exacerbated the Scheffler situation, which overshadowed the first. His attorney, Louisville’s Steve Romines, said Scheffler was told he could enter the facility. But, according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, another officer instructed the Scheffler vehicle to stop.

“The police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla,” Darlington posted on X. “The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. He is now being detained in the back of a police car.”

Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. The police report also stated that “Detective Gillis’ uniform pants, valued at approximately $80, were damaged beyond repair.”

It must also be stated that besides winning two of the last three Masters and four of his last five tour events, Scheffler is also known as a world-class nice guy.

“To turn on ESPN and see Scottie in handcuffs, getting in a police car,” said fellow golfer Harris English, “I never would have thought I would have seen that this morning.”

Scheffler is also unflappable. He was booked at 7:28 a.m., released at 8:40 a.m. and birdied No. 10, his first hole, at 10:23 a.m. His Friday card included six birdies and one bogey, putting him at 9-under par before Saturday.

“As far as best rounds of my career, I would say it was pretty good,” he said.

Scheffler didn’t say it a boastful way. It doesn’t seem his style. Others might have ducked the post-round press conference, but Scheffler stepped to the microphone and sent sympathies to the Mills family before calling his arrest “a big misunderstanding.”

In fact, Scheffler complimented police officers for helping him calm down after the arrest. He said he even did some stretching while in the jail cell. “That was a first for me.”

Crowd support was not a first for the 27-year-old from New Jersey. But even in the rainy conditions, there were shouts of “Free Scottie” and patrons wearing “FREE SCOTTIE” T-shirts sold by opportunists. At least one fan wore a shirt displaying Scheffler’s mug shot.

“I felt like they were cheering extra loud for me today,” the golfer said.

One question: Did the No. 1 golfer in the world ever tell the officers they were arresting the No. 1 golfer in the world?

“No,” Scheffler said. “At no point did I try to name drop myself to defuse the situation. I just tried to remain as calm as possible and just follow instructions.”

It was Collin Morikawa, after shooting a sparkling 6-under Friday, who added perspective to a day when a man lost his life.

Said Morikawa, “I don’t think that’s being talked about enough. Or at all.”

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