CNN (“Scottie Scheffler arrested outside PGA Championship and charged with assault on police officer“):
World No. 1 golfer and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with a felony and other counts Friday morning outside the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, dramatically upending one of golf’s major tournaments.
Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault on a police officer – a felony – along with lesser charges of third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic, according to Jefferson County court records. He’s been released from jail, according to the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Scheffler, who returned to the course after his arrest. A spokesperson for the PGA of America, the organizer of the PGA Championship, told CNN, “As this is an ongoing situation, we will let you know of any updates as they come.”
The incident began when Scheffler drove to the Valhalla Golf Club for the second round of the tournament, according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who witnessed and filmed the arrest.
Police presence around the entrance to the course was elevated due to the fatal accident involving a shuttle bus carrying people to the course. Louisville Metro Police Department spokesperson Dwight Mitchell said a pedestrian was killed after attempting to cross the main road leading to the course and being hit by the bus.
When Scheffler arrived, he attempted to drive around the crash scene on a median, according to ESPN, which first reported Scheffler’s detention.. “A police officer instructed Scheffler to stop, but Scheffler continued to drive about 10 to 20 yards toward the entrance,” ESPN said.
“Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla. The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs,” Darlington posted on X. Scheffler was in a marked player courtesy vehicle, Darlington said on ESPN.
ESPN (“Scottie Scheffler arrested before PGA Championship Round 2“) adds:
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.
Major Jason Logsdon of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections told ESPN that Scheffler was released at 8:40 a.m. ET Friday without bail. He arrived at Valhalla 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.
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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.”
Romines, told ESPN that the golfer attempted to enter Valhalla Golf Club as he had been instructed to earlier, unaware there had been a fatal wreck just up the road.
“He was going into Valhalla to work out,” Romines said. “He was getting ready for his tee time. They were directing traffic. He held his credential out and was going in like they’d been instructed to. Apparently, there had been a traffic accident, maybe even a fatality, down the road, and that had changed the traffic patterns, and he was unaware of that.”
Romines, speaking outside the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, said the officer who attempted to stop Scheffler wasn’t part of the regular event traffic detail at Valhalla Golf Club, “so that’s where the miscommunication arose.”
“They are allowed to go through, that’s why they have the credential and the wave-through,” Romines said. “He was unaware there had been a wreck, and he proceeded like they’d been instructed to. He did exactly as he was instructed to enter the premises.”
Romines said Scheffler would cooperate fully with police, and “we’ll deal with it as it progresses.”
