May 17, 2024, 22:02 | Updated: May 17, 2024, 22:03
Scotty Scheffler was taken into custody by police near the PGA Championship Course.
Photo: Alamy/Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections
Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer, said he was “shocked” after his arrest after it was revealed that he had been warming up for the PGA Championship in jail.
The professional golfer was charged with assaulting a police officer off the course after allegedly trying to avoid a traffic jam caused by an earlier, unrelated accident in which a pedestrian was hit and killed by a shuttle bus. Ta.
Tournament officials said they were “shocked” by the death of local man John Mills, who worked for a field vendor at Valhalla.
Scheffler was detained but released in time to tee off on the course around 10:08 a.m. local time (15:08 JST) on Friday.
The Louisville Department of Corrections, which posted the photo of the world No. 1, announced that he was booked at 7:28 a.m. local time and released at 8:40 a.m. local time.
Arriving at the course, Scheffler said his arrest following a “very chaotic situation” was a “huge misunderstanding.”
Footage widely shared online showed the 27-year-old Scheffler being led into a police car in handcuffs as he tried to enter the club before the second round of the PGA Championship.
Scheffler is charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and failure to signal at a traffic-directing officer.
Golfer Scottie Scheffler arrested by police
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Scheffler began his speech after an impressive second-round 66, which left him two strokes behind the clubhouse lead held by Collin Morikawa, and expressed his condolences to Mills’ family.
“I can’t imagine what they’re going through this morning,” he said.
“My situation will be resolved. It was a chaotic situation and there was a huge misunderstanding. I don’t understand what happened, but my heart goes out to the family.”
He continued: “I was pretty upset to say the least.
“The police officer who took me to jail was very nice. He was great. We had a nice chat in the car. That helped calm me down.”
“I wasn’t angry at all. I was shaking for about an hour with shock and fear. It was definitely a challenge to come out here and play today, but I tried my best to control my mind and control my breathing. I did my best.”
Scheffler said she wasn’t wearing a watch or had access to a cell phone, so it wasn’t until she saw herself on TV from her cell phone that she started thinking about tea time.
“The officers downstairs were discussing how long it would take for me to be released,” he said.
“Obviously we have to go through all the due process and everything. I was able to watch a little bit of TV and then I laid down and let my heart rate drop a little bit and then started stretching a little bit. “Ta” a little. “
Scottie Scheffler during the PGA Championship returns to the course after being arrested.
Photo: Alamy
Scheffler was asked to stop, but reportedly continued driving for about 20 yards.
A police officer told an ESPN reporter near the scene:
“He’s going to go to jail and there’s nothing you can do about it. Period.”
The second round of the 2024 PGA Championship was delayed approximately 80 minutes due to a fatal pedestrian accident near the course.
Shortly before Scheffler began the second round, a statement was released on social media on behalf of the Masters champion.
“This morning, I was acting on the instructions of a police officer,” Scheffler said.
“It was a very confusing situation, which is understandable given the tragic accident that had happened earlier, and there was a huge misunderstanding of what I thought was expected of me.
“I had no intention of ignoring the instructions. Today I want to put that aside and focus on golf.”
“Of course, all of us involved in the tournament extend our deepest condolences to the family of the man who died in this morning’s accident. This really puts everything in perspective.”
“Traffic backed up and Scottie Scheffler attempted to use the side median to enter Valhalla Golf Club, at which point a police officer stopped him,” ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, said on the broadcast. I instructed him to do so,” he said.
“Scheffler attempted to continue driving, but the officer pinned himself to the side of Scheffler’s vehicle.
“Scheffler stopped his vehicle en route to Valhalla Golf Club at an entrance approximately 10 to 20 yards from where the officer first instructed him to stop.
“At that point, the officer directed Scheffler to exit the vehicle.
“As he rolled down the window, a police officer grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him. He reached inside the car, opened the car door, pulled Scheffler out, pinned him against the car, and immediately was handcuffed.”