PGA Star Scottie Scheffler Arrested Before Championship Round

Clear Facts

• PGA golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged for allegedly failing to follow police orders at the Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville, Kentucky just before the second round of the tournament.
• He was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer (a felony), criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.
• Scheffler maintains that he was proceeding as directed by traffic officers and that the incident was a confusion during a chaotic situation due to a traffic fatality in the area.

Scottie Scheffler, who had ended Thursday in contention for the first PGA Championship of his career, began his Friday on a sour note.

Before the start of the second round, Scheffler was taken into custody and charged for allegedly disregarding police instructions at the Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville, Kentucky.

Before teeing off for the second round, Scheffler issued a statement.

“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,” he said. “I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.”

Showing his empathy for the tragic incident that occurred earlier, he added, “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.”

According to reports, Scheffler, driving a vehicle marked as a PGA Championship car, passed a police officer prompting the officer to yell at him to stop. The incident was described as a “misunderstanding with traffic flow” related to an ongoing investigation of a traffic fatality.

“Scheffler was then walked over to the police car, placed in the back, in handcuffs, very stunned about what was happening, looked toward me as he was in those handcuffs and said, ‘Please help me,’” a journalist at the scene explained.

An officer at the scene informed the journalist, “Right now, he’s going to jail,” an officer at the scene informed. “He’s going to jail and there ain’t nothing you can do about it.”

Scheffler was later booked into the Louisville Department of Corrections. His charges included second-degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.

A police report stated that a detective was allegedly knocked down after Scheffler decided “to comply and accelerated forward.” The detective reportedly sustained injuries to his wrist and knee.

Scheffler’s representative explained, “Due to the combination of event traffic and a traffic fatality in the area it was a very chaotic situation. He was proceeding as directed by another traffic officer and driving a marked player’s vehicle with credentials visible. In the confusion, Scottie is alleged to have disregarded a different officer’s traffic signals resulting in these charges.”

Scheffler returned to the course around 9:12 a.m. ET and was seen assuring Rickie Fowler that he was “All good”.

Scheffler, currently ranked as the world No.1 golfer, was tied for 12th at 4-under par after the first round. His impressive track record, including four victories in the last five tournaments and a second Masters title, remains unchallenged, despite the unfortunate incident. He had recently celebrated the birth of his first child on May 8.

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