- Scottie Scheffler, the #1 golfer in the world, was arrested before the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla last Friday.
- Scheffler allegedly misunderstood directions he was given by a police officer as he was trying to avoid traffic, and dragged the officer to the ground with his car.
- Scheffler is charged with four counts, including felony second-degree assault on a police officer, and will be arraigned in Louisville, Kentucky on June 3rd.
The PGA Championship drew a lot of attention last week. The golf tournament was won by Xander Schauffele, who claimed his first major by holding off Bryson DeChambeau. It was an exciting conclusion to the tournament at Valhalla. However, the biggest story of the week involved Scottie Scheffler, the #1 player in the world, and it had nothing to do with golf.
Scheffler was arrested around 6:00 AM ET on Friday morning as he arrived at Valhalla. There was a tragic accident outside the property, which caused a lot of confusion. 69-year-old volunteer John Mills was hit by a shuttle bus and passed away.
Scheffler was stopped by police, but details get muddled after that. It ended with Scheffler in handcuffs, and he was charged with four counts, including a felony assault charge. His arraignment, which was supposed to be May 21st, is pushed back.
Scheffler Claims “Big Misunderstanding”, Will Plead Not Guilty
Scheffler allegedly disobeyed an officer’s direction, and attempted to keep driving on to the Valhalla property. The officer accused Scheffler of knocking him down and dragging him with his car. The Texas native was then taken into handcuffs and placed in a police car.
The charges Scheffler faces now are as follows: second-degree assault of a police officer (felony), third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
Scheffler claims it was a “big misunderstanding”, as it was raining, dark, and early in the morning. The hunt is on now for any video footage of the incident. The police officer in question, Det. Bryan Gillis, didn’t have his body camera turned on.
Charges Won’t Be Dropped; What Next For Scheffler?
Scheffler was due to be arraigned on Tuesday, May 21st, following the PGA Championship. The arraignment is postponed to Monday, June 3rd. There were reports that the charges would be dropped against Scheffler.
However, Scheffler’s lawyer, Steven Romines, told Golf Channel that was not the case. Romines said:
“Whoever reported [the charges] were going to be dismissed was not accurate”.
Romines also informed Golf Channel that Scheffler would have to attend the arraignment in person.
Scheffler wound up being released from jail in time for his second-round tee time, and shot a 66. He stumbled to a 73 in his third round, but rebounded for a 65 on Sunday to finish T8.
However, it was obviously a tough week for Scheffler, who repeatedly expressed regret at the death of the volunteer in his post-round press conference last Friday.
Scheffler is favored at all popular online sportsbooks, including BetUS, to win the Charles Schwab Challenge this week at Colonial. He grew up in New Jersey, but the world #1 moved to Dallas when he was six. Colonial Country Club is in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Scheffler will want to tee it up at Colonial, but it wouldn’t be a shock if he withdrew to rest after a wild week at Valhalla.
We’ll have to wait and see how this affects Scheffler going forward. There are three tournaments before the US Open at Pinehurst No.2 on June 13th, which is probably Scheffler’s biggest golf priority.
