Scottie Scheffler charged with assaulting an officer

Scottie Scheffler, currently the world’s top-ranked golfer, was charged with assaulting an officer after being arrested on his way to the PGA Championship.

He was detained and handcuffed by police Friday morning at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

Context

ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington posted on X (formerly Twitter) that police detained Scheffler after he allegedly tried to drive past a police car at the golf club.

Scheffler was driving to the golf course to start the second round.

What we know

Darlington said the golfer misunderstood the directions. Police reportedly forced him out of the car, yelled at him and then pushed him against a police car.

A police penalty sheet showed the golfer was charged with second-degree assault, criminal mischief, reckless driving and ignoring police signals. He was released on bail, but no court date has been set.

A photo of Scheffler was published showing him unsmiling, looking at the camera while wearing an orange prison jumpsuit.

He later went to the golf course to start the second round.” Breaking news: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was detained by police in handcuffs after a miscommunication with traffic that led to his attempt to drive past a Valhalla Golf Club police officer,” Darlington wrote in X.

“The policeman tried to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, after which Scheffler stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Walhalla.

“The police officer then began shouting at Scheffler to get out of the car. Once Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer pushed Scheffler against the car and immediately handcuffed him. He is currently being held in the backseat of a police car. “

Here is the video of Scottie Scheffler’s arrest at the PGA Championship.

Unfathomable.

The simulation is out of the question.

pic.twitter.com/giI8ZzagSz

— Rick Golfs (@Top100Rick) May 17, 2024

Another ESPN reporter, Randy Scott, wrote that after Scheffler was handcuffed, police said the golfer would be taken to the police station.

In a post on X, Scott claimed that the officer told Darlington: “There’s nothing you can do; he will go to jail.”

The video posted on social media shows several police cars and Scheffler being pulled into an unmarked car and driving away from the scene.

Newsweek reached out to Louisville Metro Police and Scheffler’s representatives by phone for comment.

Views

Golf fans were outraged by Scheffler’s arrest, with some joking that keeping him in jail would give other golfers a chance to win the tournament.

“Scottie Scheffler, who will be handcuffed before the PGA Championship following a misunderstanding, comes close to shooting Derek Jeter in the tunnel before the World Series at The Other Guys,” @billyhottakes wrote on X.

“This is the only way to stop Scottie Scheffler from winning a major championship,” wrote @BenScottStevens.

“Here’s the video of Scottie Scheffler’s arrest at the PGA Championship. Unfathomable. “The simulation went wrong,” wrote @Top100Rick.

What’s next

Scheffler finished the first round of the tournament in 17th place after shooting 67 under par on Thursday.

His compatriot, Xander Schauffele, took first place in the leaderboard after the first day and also made history. Schauffele shot a 9-under 62, the lowest round in the 106-year history of the PGA Championship.

Scheffler, 27, is a 10-time PGA Tour winner. This year, he won the 2024 Masters and The Players Championship, making him the first player to win these tournaments back-to-back.

In addition to Scheffler’s arrest, the PGA Championship team posted on social media that play had been temporarily suspended on Friday “due to an accident near the golf course.”

He then informed fans that play would resume at 8:35 a.m. local time after “a delay of 1 hour and 20 minutes from the originally published time.”

Update 5/17/24 8:23 AM ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 5/17/24 9:34 AM ET: This story has been updated to include Scheffler’s mugshot and charge sheet.