Yahoo Sports World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler tees off at PGA Championship after being arrested, charged with felony for incident outside Valhalla
Scottie Scheffler was booked by police after a traffic incident early on Friday morning
World No. 1 player Scottie Scheffler was arrested early Friday morning following an incident with an officer outside Valhalla Golf Club, 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 of a police officer, criminal mischief in the third degree, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic. The charges include two misdemeanors, one violation and one felony (second-degree assault of a police officer).
Scheffler was released from custody at 8:40 a.m. ET. He arrived back at Valhalla at 9:12 a.m. ET and headed to the practice area before teeing off around 10:10 a.m. ET. Scheffler posted a 5-under 66 on Friday, which dropped him to 9-under on the week and very much so in contention. He is due back in court next on Tuesday morning for his arraignment.
Scheffler posted the following on his Instagram story:
"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."
The incident was first reported by ESPN's Jeff Darlington.
Breaking News: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club. The police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car,…
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
"Breaking News: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club," Darlington wrote on X. "The police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla. 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."
Darlington indicated that Scheffler drove about "10 to 20 yards" after being told to stop. Darlington reported that Scheffler tried to explain that he did not know the man telling him to stop was a police officer. Darlington said that Scheffler did not raise his voice during the confrontation.
According to Darlington, the situation escalated rapidly, 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 on the incident on "SportsCenter" shortly before 7 a.m.
Scottie Scheffler being loaded into a police vehicle, per ESPN. “There’s nothing you can do, he’s going to jail,” @JeffDarlington says he was told. pic.twitter.com/BTgsFctoTP
— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) May 17, 2024
Darlington later posted video of the incident:
Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
According to a police report of the incident, an officer was "dragged" to the ground by Scheffler's car and was hospitalized after he "suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee."
Steve Romines, an attorney representing Scheffler, told reporters that Scheffler held out his media credential and was entering the golf course as players had been instructed to.
"Apparently, there had been a traffic accident, or maybe even a fatality down the road, and that had changed the traffic patterns, and he was unaware of that," Romines said. "I think the officer that was directing traffic was maybe not part of the event traffic detail and so that's where the miscommunication arose 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 a.m.
The start of the second round of the PGA Championship was delayed by 80 minutes due to the fatal accident outside Valhalla Golf Club. According to the PGA, a shuttle bus struck and killed a pedestrian, who worked for a vendor. In the rainy predawn hours, traffic around Valhalla was at a standstill. Players were permitted to enter the course to prepare for the tournament.
"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
“Our primary concern today remains with the family of John Mills, who lost his life in a tragic accident early this morning while reporting to work,” the PGA of America said in a statement on Friday afternoon. “As it relates to the incident involving Scottie Scheffler, we are fully cooperating as local authorities review what took place. While the legal process plays out, questions should be directed to Scheffler’s attorney or local authorities.”
Scheffler returned to Valhalla shortly after he was released and he teed off after the tournament started play on Friday after a nearly 90-minute delay. Scheffler then birdied his opening hole, which brought him to 5-under for the tournament. He finished two shots off the lead when he entered the clubhouse.
