Why Was Golfer Scottie Scheffler Arrested Hours Before PGA Championship? Inside the Incident

Scottie Scheffler was arrested just hours before round two of the PGA Championship in May 2024. Why was he arrested, has he spoken out about the situation and what was the outcome?

Why Was Scottie Scheffler Arrested?

The top golfer made headlines on May 17, 2024, when he was detained just hours before he was set to compete in round two of the PGA Championship, In Touch can confirm. He was booked at 7:28 a.m. and has been charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals, per local outlet WAVE 3.

ESPN reported that Scottie was stopped by Louisville Metro Police officers when he tried to drive into the Valhalla Golf Club parking lot, where the tournament was being held. ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, claimed that Scottie attempted to drive his car around a crash scene.

Earlier in the morning, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside of the venue. Traffic was redirected as a result, and PGA delayed the second round of the tournament by one hour.

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Scottie was allegedly told by a police officer to stop as he pulled into Valhalla Golf Club. However, he allegedly continued driving for 10 or 20 yards.

“The police officer then grabbed at his arm, attempting to pull him out of the car before Scheffler eventually opened the door, at which point the police officer then pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him up against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs,” Jeff alleged. “Scheffler was then walked over to the police car, placed in the back in handcuffs. Very stunned about what was happening. Looked toward me as he was in those handcuffs and said, ‘Please help me.’ He very clearly did not know what was happening in the situation — it moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively.”

The professional athlete only stopped driving when a police officer attached himself to the side of the car, per ESPN. After Scottie allegedly rolled down his window to talk to the officer, he seemingly attempted to reach inside of the car to pull the golfer out. Scottie was then pushed against the outside of the car and placed in handcuffs before he was taken to the local station.

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When Was Scottie Scheffler Released?

Scottie was released from custody before 9 a.m. and headed back to the grounds, where he was originally scheduled to tee off at 10:03 am.

Has Scottie Scheffler Spoken About the Incident?

Following the arrest, Scottie took to his Instagram Stories to address the situation. “This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do,” he wrote. 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 in perspective.”

Scottie continued to discuss the incident during a press conference that was held after he competed in the second round of the PGA Championship.

“I feel like my head is still spinning. I can’t really explain what happened this morning,” he admitted to reporters. “I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me. That was part of my warmup. I was just sitting there waiting and I started going through my warmup, I felt like there was a chance I may be able to still come out here and play.”

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After noting it “probably took a few holes to feel normal,” Scottie said he wasn’t able to do his “normal” warmup routine while in jail. “I’m a big routine guy, especially when it comes to my preparation. But it took a few holes to settle in,” he continued. “It was kind of nice just to be out there inside the ropes competing. It’s one of my favorite things in the world to do, so I was fortunate to be able to come out here and do it again today.”

The athlete said he was “rattled” when the “very kind” officer took him to jail. “We had a nice chat in the car, that kind of helped calm me down,” Scottie recalled. “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, and I think my body was just — I was shaking the whole time. I was shaking for like an hour. It was definitely a new feeling for me.”

Scottie Scheffler’s Charges Were Dropped

Scottie’s charges were dropped when Jefferson County prosecutors filed a motion in court on May 29, 2024, to dismiss the case against him. A judge then granted the request, according to TMZ.

The officials explained that they wanted to move on from the case because they did not have enough evidence to move forward. They added that the evidence they collected “corroborated” Scottie’s claims that the whole situation was a misunderstanding.