PGA Tour golfer Scotty Scheffler spent three hours in custody Friday after being arrested and charged with second-degree assault on a police officer and several other charges following an incident driving into Valhalla Golf Club, where the second round of the PGA Championship was being played. scheduled to take place.
Scheffler has since been released and was on the course warming up for the round as of 9:45 a.m. ET.
The arrest came after traffic to the club was blocked due to a shuttle bus accident that killed a pedestrian. Scheffler allegedly tried to avoid the roadway and the officer ordered him to stop. ESPN, whose reporter witnessed the event, reports Scheffler drove another 10 to 20 yards to the club entrance. He was then pulled from the car and handcuffed.
Louisville Department of Corrections via AP
He was charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, careless driving and disregard for a traffic signal by a traffic control officer. One of these charges, assault, is a felony.
Scheffler was released without bail at 8:40 a.m. and arrived at the club an hour before the scheduled first match.
“I acted on the instructions of the police this morning,” Scheffler said in a statement. “It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so given the tragic accident that had happened earlier and there was a lot of misunderstanding about what I thought I was being asked to do. It was never my intention to ignore any instructions. “I hope to put that aside and focus on golf today.”
Scotty Scheffler has arrived in Valhalla. The match starts in about an hour, 10:08. pic.twitter.com/LY0l5WHLG2
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) May 17, 2024
Scheffler won the Masters in April and is considered the best player in the sport.