Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship in Louisville, Ky., with stunning images showing him handcuffed as he was taken to jail for not following police orders during a pedestrian fatality investigation.
In a span of four hours, the top-ranked golfer in the world was arrested wearing gym shorts and a T-shirt, dressed in an orange jail shirt for his mug shot, returned to Valhalla Golf Club in golf clothes and made his 10:08 a.m. ET second-round tee time.
Scheffler’s attorney Steve Romines in Louisville says the arrest was “a big misunderstanding” and “we will litigate the case as it goes.”
Traffic was backed up for about 1.6 kilometres in both directions on the only road that leads to Valhalla in the morning darkness with light rain, with dozens of police vehicles flashing red-and-blue lights near the entrance.
Police said a pedestrian had been struck by a bus while crossing the road in a lane that was dedicated to tournament traffic and was pronounced dead at the scene about 5:09 a.m. ET. The PGA of America identified the man as an employee of one of its vendors.
ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington said Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world who was to start the second round at 8:48 a.m., drove past a police officer a little after 6 a.m. in his SUV with markings on the door indicating it was a PGA Championship vehicle.
Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: <a href=”https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf”>https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf</a> <a href=”https://t.co/9Tbp2tyrJh”>pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh</a>
—@JeffDarlington
The officer screamed at him to stop and then grabbed onto the car until Scheffler stopped about 10 yards later.
Scheffler was booked at 7:28 a.m., about 2 1/2 hours before he was scheduled to start his second round. Police said he was booked for second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
“The main thing is he was proceeding exactly as he was directed in a marked vehcile with credentials,” Romines said. “He didn’t do anything intentionally wrong.”
Statement from Scottie Scheffler to me: “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…
—@JeffDarlington
The officer, identified in the arrest report as Det. Gillis, was dragged “to the ground” and suffered “pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist” after the car “accelerated forward,” according to Louisville police.
The officer was dressed in a high visibility reflective jacket when he stopped Scheffler’s car to give instructions, the arrest sheet said. Gillis was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
Darlington watched it unfold. He said police pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him up against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs.
“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,”‘ Darlington said. “He very clearly did not know what was happening in the situation. It moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively.”
Louisville Metro police spokesman Dwight Mitchell told Louisville radio station WHAS the man was crossing Shelbyville Road about 5 a.m. and the bus didn’t see him. Mitchell said the man was pronounced dead on the scene.
WATCH | Scheffler arrives at Valhalla Golf Club before 2nd-round tee time:
World number one Scottie Scheffler arrived at Valhalla Golf Club for the second round of the PGA Championship, following his arrest earlier Friday morning, for reportedly failing to follow police orders during a pedestrian fatality investigation.
Scheffler was released by police and returned to the course at 9:12 a.m. He made his way to the practice area around 9:30 a.m. and was welcomed by fans — one shouted “free Scottie!”
Scheffler seemed like his normal, relaxed self, sharing a few laughs on the driving range. Then he went out and made a birdie on his first hole of the day after sticking his approach shot to three feet.
With cars backed up in the morning darkness, other PGA-marked vehicles tried to move slowly toward the entrance. Traffic finally began to move gradually a little before 7 a.m.
It was a surreal start to what already has been a wild week of weather — the Masters champion and top-ranked player in the world, dressed in workout clothes with his hands in cuffs behind his back amid flashing flights.
Darlington said police were not sure who Scheffler was. He said an officer asked him to leave and when he identified himself being with the media, he was told, “There’s nothing you can do. He’s going to jail.”
Darlington said another police officer later approached with a notepad and asked if he knew the name of the person they put in handcuffs.
Scheffler is coming off four victories in his last five tournaments, including his second Masters title. He was home in Dallas the last three weeks waiting on the birth of his first child, a son that was born May 8.
Scheffler opened with a 4-under 67 and was five shots out of the lead as he tries to become only the fifth player since 1960 to win the first two majors of the year.