LOUISVILLE, Ky. (NewsNation) — The world’s top golfer, Scottie Scheffler, was detained by police Friday morning in Louisville, Kentucky, ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship after a misunderstanding with traffic flow into the Valhalla Golf Club.
Scheffler was released and made his way back to the golf club around 8:49 a.m. ET, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. ESPN reported he arrived at the course at 9:12 a.m.
The second round was delayed by a separate incident for about an hour after a shuttle bus hit and killed a pedestrian outside the golf club, the Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed to ESPN. The accident had caused traffic disruptions around the club’s entrance, which prompted an emergency response.
“This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones,” PGA of America wrote in a statement.
Why was Scottie Scheffler arrested?
Scheffler, 27, was detained by police in handcuffs early Friday morning after he attempted to drive past a police officer on his way into the golf club, according to ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington. The officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, prompting the golfer to stop his vehicle just short of the golf club’s entrance.
The officer yelled at Scheffler to remove himself from the vehicle. When he did, the officer reportedly shoved Scheffler against his car and placed him in handcuffs.
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. I was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that has 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.
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 into perspective.”
Scottie Scheffler via Instagram
Scheffler was booked at 7:28 a.m. ET at the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections on charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. Darlington witnessed Scheffler’s arrest live and caught part of the arrest on video.
Darlington said the golfer was trying to get around the crash scene and drove on a median with the misunderstanding he was being directed that way. The police officer allegedly instructed him to stop but Scheffler continued about 10 to 20 yards toward the club’s entrance.
According to the police report, the arresting officer, Detective Bryan Gillis, attempted to stop Scheffler but was allegedly “dragged” by the golfer’s vehicle and hospitalized.
“Detective Gillis suffered pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist and knee,” the report said.
The police report also said that Gillis’ “uniform pants, valued at approximately $80, were damaged beyond repair.”
Conflicting reports claim the officer attached himself to Scheffler’s car in an effort to stop him from driving forward.
Police acted ‘very quickly, very aggressively’: Reporter
The officer acted “very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively,” Darlington said on ESPN’s broadcast. As the arresting officers walked Scheffler to the police car, the golfer was seen turning back to Darlington asking him for help.
“Can you please help me?” Scheffler said.
Darlington attempted to step in and help, but the officer threatened there would be an issue if the reporter did not step back.
The ESPN reporter was told Scheffler was “going to jail” by police and the PGA security team could not access him.
Scottie Scheffler takes the course
Scheffler was initially scheduled to tee off at 8:48 a.m. ET Friday for the second round of the PGA Championship. He is currently ranked as the world’s No. 1 golfer by The Official World Golf Ranking.
The PGA updated Scheffler’s round two tee time to 10:08 a.m. ET and he officially teed off at 10:10 a.m. ET.
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. Scheffler’s arraignment has been scheduled for May 21 at 9 a.m. ET.
Scheffler to return to ‘normal routine’
After finishing his second round with six birdies to get to -9 for the tournament, Scheffler told reporters he hopes to get back to normal for the remainder of the weekend following his Friday morning arrest.
In his post-round news conference, Scheffler admitted to being “just really confused” after he was detained by officers and placed in the back of a police car. He said that he apologized numerous times to police officers and said he was just attempting to make his tee time.
Scheffler referred to the incident involving police as “a chaotic situation” and “big misunderstanding” but said he cannot comment on the specifics of what happened.
Scheffler said he expects the situation to be resolved “fairly quickly.”
“I feel like my head is still spinning,” said Scheffler, who said he did some stretching in the holding cell in which he was placed after his arrest. “I can’t really explain what happened.”
Scheffler characterized the fan response to his return to the course as “tremendous” and said at times, it felt like fans were cheering extra loud. He said that despite beginning his round with birdies on two of his first three holes, it took him a few holes to truly settle into a routine.
“I was pretty rattled to say the least,” Scheffler said, adding he was shaking for an hour after the incident. “The officer that took me to the jail was very kind. He was great. We had a nice chat in the car, that kind of helped calm me down.
“I was sitting there waiting to kind of go in and I asked him, I was like, Hey, excuse me, can you just come hang out with me for a few minutes so I can calm down. I was never angry. I was just in shock.”
Scheffler said he saw himself on ESPN while he was in the holding cell while officers discussed how long it would take to release the golfer from custody. He said that he did his best to get his heart rate down in the holding cell while trying to consider everything that had happened.
Scheffler admitted he wasn’t sure he would make his scheduled tee time until officers came to inform him he was being released.
He said he was grateful to be able to return for the second round.
“It was nice to be able to get inside the ropes and do what I love to do,” Scheffler said.
But as he did in his earlier statement issued by the PGA Tour, Scheffler expressed condolences to the family of the tournament worker who was killed early Friday.
“I can’t imagine what they’re going through right now,” he told reporters. “My situation will be handled.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.