Top golfer Scottie Scheffler was detained hours before round two of the PGA Championship on Friday, May 17, Us Weekly can confirm.
According to the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections’ inmate database viewed by Us, Scheffler, 27, was booked at 7:28 a.m. on Friday. He had been charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals, according to local outlet WAVE 3.
Scheffler, who finished the first round of the tournament four strokes under par (Xander Schauffele is at the top of the leaderboard at -9), was stopped by Louisville Metro Police officers as he tried to drive into the Valhalla Golf Club parking lot for the tournament, ESPN reported on Friday. The outlet’s sports reporter Jeff Darlington witnessed the incident, claiming that Scheffler was attempting to drive his car around a crash scene. A police officer had allegedly told Scheffler to stop but the athlete allegedly continued on 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,” Darlington said. “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.”
Earlier on Friday morning, a pedestrian had been struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla, the site of the PGA Championship. LMPD had redirected all traffic as a result. The PGA also delayed the start of Round 2 of the tournament by one hour.
According to ESPN, Scheffler only stopped driving after a police officer attached himself to the side of the car. Scheffler allegedly then rolled down his window to address the law enforcement official, who appeared to reach inside the car to pull Scheffler out. Scheffler was then pushed against his car exterior, placed in handcuffs and taken to a local station.
WAVE 3 has since reported that Scheffler has been released and is on his way back to the grounds, originally set to tee off at 10:03 am.
The athlete has not publicly addressed the incident. A spokesperson for the PGA told CNN in a statement: “As this is an ongoing situation, we will let you know of any updates as they come.”
Scheffler is currently the No. 3 ranked golfer in the PGA, recently winning the 2024 Masters in April for a second time.
“It’s hard to put into words how special this is,” he said during a press conference after his win. “It’s been a long week and to be sitting here wearing this jacket again and to take it home is extremely special.”
Within weeks of his Masters win, Scottie and wife Meredith Scheffler welcomed their first baby, son Bennett.
Golfer Scottie Scheffler and Wife Meredith’s Relationship Timeline
“Welcome to the world little one. Your mom & dad love you so much,” Scottie gushed via Instagram earlier this month, sharing the first photo of the newborn.
Meredith had skipped the Masters amid her pregnancy.
“She’s obviously my biggest supporter, and I definitely miss having her here,” Scottie said on the green, noting he would leave early if she went into preterm labor during the tournament. “But it’s an exciting time for us in our lives, and yeah, fortunately she’s still at home and feeling good, so we are grateful for that.”
