According to a source from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Scottie Scheffler was arrested by authorities at Valhalla ahead of the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship in an unexpected early Friday morning incident. He was then charged with multiple crimes.
According to Darlington, a policeman tried to pull Scheffler’s automobile over as it was pulling into the Valhalla parking lot on Friday morning at about six a.m. ET, but Scheffler drove a short distance while the policeman held onto his vehicle for around ten yards.
“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,” Darlington wrote on X. “He is now being detained in the back of a police car.”
Darlington joined ESPN‘s Sportscenter shortly after the incident, where he shared further details.
“The police officer certainly escalated the situation in terms of wanting Scheffler to stop the vehicle. Scheffler then moved the vehicle, though, forward, and he said that to the police officer, ‘I did continue to move the vehicle,'” Darlington said on ESPN.
He continued, “So in terms of it wasn’t an escalation as much as it was the police officer making vehemently clear that he wanted Scottie Scheffler to stop the vehicle. Scottie Scheffler did not stop the vehicle for 10-20 yards.”
Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged after he allegedly failed to follow police orders as he was about to enter Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville, Kentucky, for the second round of the tournament.
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He is being charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, which is a felony, as well as criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.
Hours after the initial incident, Scottie Scheffler would be released from custody and would soon release a statement on the matter.
“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,” Scheffler said. “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.”
Scheffler, the reigning Master’s champion, shot a 4-under-par 67 in Thursday’s opening round and is tied for 12th.
In a brief discussion with local reporters on Friday, Louisville-based lawyer Steve Romines confirmed Scheffler’s allegations but refrained from going into further detail about the incident.
“He was going into Valhalla to work out and get ready for his tee time,” Romines said. “(Police) were directing traffic, he held his media credential out and was going in like they’ve 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. And, I think the officer that was directing traffic, was maybe not part of the event traffic detail and so that’s where the communication, miscommunication arose and that’s why we’re here.”
Scottie Scheffler’s Arrest Has Shocked The Sports World
The arrest of Scottie Scheffler surprised the golf community because he is regarded as one of the sport’s most pleasant figures in addition to being one of the PGA Tour’s best ball-strikers.
A recent article on Golf.com dubbed him “golf’s best player (and) maybe its most charming, too.”
Scheffler was coming off of four victories in the last five tournaments, including a second Masters title.
