LOUISVILLE, Ky. — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested by Louisville Metro Police on Friday morning after trying to drive into the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club, the site of this week’s PGA Championship.
Traffic outside the golf course had been stopped after a man was struck and killed by a shuttle bus around 5 a.m. ET.
Scheffler faces charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. The assault charge is a felony; the others are misdemeanors. Scheffler was released at 8:40 a.m. ET and headed to Valhalla. He arrived less than an hour before he was scheduled to tee off at 10:08 a.m. ET.
Scheffler’s attorney, Steven Romines, said it would be up to Scheffler whether he plays today in the second round.
According to ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, Scheffler was trying to drive around the crash scene on a median. A police officer instructed Scheffler to stop, but Scheffler continued to drive about 10 to 20 yards toward the entrance.
At one point, an officer attached himself to the side of Scheffler’s car. Scheffler stopped his car as he turned into the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club.
After about 20 to 30 seconds, Scheffler rolled down his window to talk to the officer. The officer grabbed Scheffler’s arm to pull him out of the vehicle, according to Darlington. The officer reached inside the vehicle to open the door, and once Scheffler was pulled out, he was pushed against the car and placed in handcuffs.
Darlington was standing at the entrance when Scheffler was detained. Darlington said Scheffler turned to him and asked, “Can you help?”
According to Darlington, an officer instructed him to back away.
“You need to get out of the way,” the officer told Darlington. “Right now, he’s going to jail, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Scheffler, 27, had won four of his past five starts, including his second major championship at the Masters in April.
The start of the second round was delayed after a shuttle bus struck and killed a pedestrian outside Valhalla Golf Club, a spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed to ESPN.
The unidentified man was attempting to cross Shelbyville Road around 5 a.m. when he was struck in a dedicated lane for buses. Police said the man died at the scene.
Several police and first responders were still at the scene at 6:45 a.m. ET. Traffic had backed up on the roadway in dark and wet conditions, and shuttle buses bringing fans to the golf course had been stopped.
The second round had been scheduled to start at 7:15 a.m. ET.
Source Agencies
