Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked golfer in the world, was arrested Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, and hours later was on the course at Valhalla Golf Club for his second round.
Police accused Scheffler of ignoring officers who were directing traffic after a bus struck a pedestrian on the road outside the club. He was booked at 7:28 a.m. on four charges: second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
The pedestrian had been hit about 90 minutes before the booking while crossing the road. Police said the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The PGA Championship described him in a statement as "a worker with one of our vendors."
Traffic was backed up for at least a mile in both directions on the only road leading to the course. According to ESPN's Jeff Darlington, who reportedly witnessed the episode, Scheffler tried to drive around the crash scene and ignored an officer who yelled for him to stop.
A police report posted on social media by Natalie Martinez of WAVE-TV said Detective Bryan Gillis stopped the driver and tried to give instructions. The report said the driver refused to comply and accelerated, dragging the detective to the ground. Gillis suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee and was taken to a hospital. Louisville police told The Times they were still gathering information, noting that an encounter with a motorist trying to enter a restricted area led to the driver's arrest. They did not name Scheffler.
Scheffler was handcuffed and taken to jail. He was released and back at the course at 9:12 a.m. The crash had delayed second-round play, and his tee time was moved to 10:08. He was seen laughing as he warmed up on the driving range and made birdie on his opening hole. He finished with six birdies and one bogey for a five-under 66, leaving him tied for third at nine under, three shots behind the leader with other players still on the course.
Afterward, Scheffler called the morning "a chaotic situation, a big misunderstanding" that he expects will "get resolved fairly quickly." He said his head was still spinning and that he stretched in a jail cell as part of his warm-up. "I was shaking, I would say in shock and in fear," he said, adding that he worked to control his mind and breathing so he could play. He said he did not understand what had happened on the road. He also praised the fans, saying it was "great having the fans behind me."
His attorney, Steven Romines, told ESPN the officer who tried to stop Scheffler was not part of the event's traffic staff at the club. "So that's where the miscommunication arose," Romines said. He argued that golfers are allowed through with their credentials and a wave-through, and that Scheffler was unaware of the wreck and did what he had been instructed to do to enter the grounds.
Scheffler, who won the Masters for the second time last month, is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
