Scottie Scheffler was arrested early Friday morning before the second round of the PGA Championship.
The world No. 1 golfer was put in handcuffs at the entrance to the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, according to ESPN. The network reported that Scheffler was attempting to drive past a police officer when he was ordered to stop and get out of the vehicle.
ESPN reported that a “misunderstanding with traffic flow” had led to Scheffler’s attempt to drive past the cop. A shuttle bus struck and killed a pedestrian outside the gate of the golf club at around 5 a.m., according to the Louisville Metro Police Department. Multiple officers and first responders remained at the scene at 6:45 a.m.
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When Scheffler tried to pass an officer, according to ESPN, the officer “attempted to attach himself” to the golfer’s car, at which point Scheffler stopped at the entrance to Valhalla. The officer then reportedly started to scream at Scheffler to get out of the vehicle and, when he did so, the athlete was allegedly shoved against the car and handcuffed.
He now faces charges including a felony second-degree assault on a police officer. He’s also been charged with two misdemeanors—third-degree criminal mischief and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic—and reckless driving, a violation, according to WAVE.
In a dramatic video recorded by ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington and shared online, Scheffler can be seen with his hands cuffed behind his back as two officers lead him to a police car. “Can you please help me?” Scheffler can be heard saying in the footage.
The officers repeatedly warn Darlington to stay back as the golfer is led away. “Right now, he’s going to jail, OK?” one of the officers says in the clip. “He’s going to jail, and it ain’t nothing you can do about it. Period.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the Louisville PD for comment.
Darlington later explained on air that Scheffler had tried to drive around “what he believed to be security,” but they were actually police officers. “They told him to stop,” Darlington continued. “When he didn’t stop, the police officer attached himself to the vehicle. Scheffler then traveled another 10 yards before stopping the car.”
The officer then “grabbed” at Scheffler’s arm, according to Darlington, in an attempt to pull Scheffler out of the car. At that point, Scheffler was detained and placed in the back of a police vehicle. Darlington said the golfer was clearly “very stunned about what was happening” and claimed that the officers didn’t understand that Scheffler “was a golfer in the tournament.”
The officer, however, claimed the scuffle with Scheffler left him with “pain, swelling and abrasions to left wrist and knee,” according to an incident report viewed by TMZ. The officer also reportedly complained that the $80 pants he was wearing were “damaged beyond repair,” thanks to Scheffler’s aggression.
Scheffler released a statement calling the incident a misunderstanding. “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," he said in a statement. “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 PGA Championship X account confirmed early Friday that the second round would be “delayed due to an accident near the course.” It subsequently shared an update saying that play would start at 8:35 a.m., with all tee times pushed back by one hour and 20 minutes from their originally scheduled times.
Before the delays, Scheffler was due to tee off at 8:48 a.m. The time at which he was detained by police is not yet clear. He was released from custody before 9 a.m., WAVE reports. Scheffler reportedly arrived at the Valhalla clubhouse at 9:11 a.m., 57 minutes before his new tee time of 10:08 a.m.
