Scottie Scheffler fires 66 following ‘huge misunderstanding’ and arrest
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A spectator wears a T-shirt featuring the police mugshot of world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, following his arrest by Louisville police on May 17.
PHOTOS: USA TODAY SPORTS
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LOUISVILLE – It was a day the world’s top golfer could never have expected.
Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with felony assault after an incident with Metro Police, while trying to get to Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville after 6am on May 17.
The 27-year-old, who recently became a father, was released from jail at 8.40am and teed off in the second round of the PGA Championship at 10.08am.
And then the US Masters champion played like nothing out of the ordinary happened, carding a five-under 66. He was at nine-under 133 at the midway stage, trailing leader Xander Schauffele by three strokes.
“It was a chaotic situation and a big misunderstanding. I can’t comment on any of the specifics, but my situation will be handled. It was just a big misunderstanding,” Scheffler said of his arrest.
It all started with a fatal accident on Shelbyville Road, the four-lane road at the entrance of Valhalla. It is the only road that leads into the golf course. A PGA vendor later identified as John Mills was struck by a bus and killed while trying to cross the road at 5.09am.
The road was shut down in both directions for police to investigate.
According to ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, Scheffler drove past a police officer a little after 6am in his white Lexus – a courtesy car given to all the players.
An officer screamed at him to stop and then grabbed onto the car but the golfer continued to drive for about 10-15 metres.
According to the police report, officer Bryan Gillis was dragged to the ground, suffered “pain and swelling, and abrasions in his left wrist and knee” and his uniform pants were “damaged beyond repair”.
Police said Scheffler was booked on four charges, including second-degree assault of a police officer.
He was also charged with third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic.
His attorney Steve Romines said: “We’ll be pleading not guilty.” He added that Scheffler “only followed instructions he was given at the scene and did not assault any officer with his car”. An arraignment is set for May 21.
“I was just really confused,” added Scheffler, who said he misunderstood the direction officers had given him. “I was doing my best to defuse the situation, just sitting there trying to remain as calm as possible. Like I said, it was pretty chaotic... sitting there just listening to the police officer as he’s trying to figure out who I am, figure out my name.
“They were trying to find me in the system, but there was something wrong... and I did my best to just follow instructions and do as I was told as I was sitting there handcuffed.”
He also said he was shaking most of the time. After his arrest, he sat in a holding cell and saw his face on TV as ESPN reported that tee times were delayed by 80 minutes due to the accident and traffic.
“There was a TV there and I could see myself on the TV. In the corner it showed the time... and I was thinking about my tee time,” he said. “I was like, well, maybe I could be able to get out.”
Despite being “rattled”, he said there was never any thought of not playing.
“The officer who took me to the jail was very kind. Kind of had a nice chat. Calmed me down. This one older officer looked at me, I was doing my fingerprints, he was like: ‘You want the full experience today?’ I’m like, I don’t know how to answer. He said, ‘Do you want a sandwich?’ I go ‘Sure, I’ll take it, didn’t eat breakfast’,” Scheffler said.
He obtained legal counsel from Romines and was released at 8.40am. He was driven back to Valhalla and arrived at 9.12am, ahead of his tee time at 10.08am.
He admitted it took a couple of holes for his mind and game to settle in, saying after his round: “I feel like my head is still spinning.
“I can’t really explain what happened this morning. I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me. That was part of my warmup. I felt there was a chance I may be able to still play. I was fortunate to be able to make it back out.
“I definitely never imagined going to jail the morning before one of my tee times, for sure.” REUTERS, AFP
Spectators wore Free Scottie T-shirts and one wore an orange jumpsuit following Scottie Scheffler’s arrest.
PHOTO: USA TODAY SPORTS
