Scottie Scheffler has broken his silence following his astonishing arrest at Valhalla Golf Club on Friday morning.
In an astonishing series of events, Scheffler was seen being led into a police car in handcuffs after attempting to enter the club before his second round at the PGA Championship.
The 27-year-old was booked into jail and a mugshot was released through the Louisville Department of Corrections before returning to Valhalla later Friday morning ahead of his second round after being released. He is reportedly facing four criminal charges, including second-degree assault on a police officer.
“This morning I proceeded as directed by police officers,” Scheffler said in a statement after returning to Valhalla in time for his second round.
‘It was a very chaotic situation, understandable given the tragic accident that had previously occurred, and there was a major misunderstanding about what I thought was being asked of me.
Scottie Scheffler has broken his silence following his astonishing arrest at Valhalla Golf Club
Scheffler was led into a police car in handcuffs after trying to enter the club for his second round at the PGA Championship
The world’s No. 1 golfer was arrested, jailed and later released. He is reportedly facing four criminal charges, including second-degree assault on a police officer
After his release, Scheffler arrived back in Valhalla on Friday morning for his second round
‘It was never my intention to disobey any of the instructions. I hope I can put this aside and focus on golf today.
‘Naturally, all of us involved in the tournament extend our deepest condolences to the family of the man who died in the earlier accident this morning. It really puts everything into perspective.”
After a fatal accident outside Valhalla earlier in the morning, Scheffler reportedly tried to pull around his vehicle he thought was security personnel. In fact, it was the officers who ordered him to stop.
When he didn’t, ESPN claims that an officer even tried to attach himself to Scheffler’s car as he drove another thirty feet before stopping.
The officer in question then allegedly grabbed his car in an attempt to pull it out before opening the door. The golfer was eventually dragged from the vehicle, pushed against it and placed in handcuffs before being taken away and booked into jail.
Scheffler was set to tee off at 8:48 ET for his second round alongside Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman. That was eventually pushed back to 10:08 a.m. after he returned to Valhalla after being released around 9:15 a.m. ET.
Scheffler insists the “chaotic” incident in Kentucky on Friday was all “a big misunderstanding.”
Footage showed him being held in handcuffs and led away by police outside Valhalla
The golfer now faces the following costs, per Golf3:
- Second-degree assault on a police officer, which is a misdemeanor
- Third-degree criminal mischief
- Ignoring traffic signals from an officer directing traffic
The incident occurred after the second round of the PGA Championship was postponed on Friday due to a fatal accident near the club.
A pedestrian was hit by a shuttle bus outside the golf course. Scheffler was not involved in the accident, but he was stuck in a huge traffic jam around Valhalla.
ESPN claims an unknown man was trying to cross Shelbyville Road around 5 a.m. when he was struck in a designated bus lane, before being pronounced dead at the scene.
Remarkable footage that has gone viral on social media shows Scheffler being led into the police car after the misunderstanding on Friday morning.
“Can you please help me?” a panicked Scheffler was heard asking eyewitnesses
As he was led away, ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington – who filmed the incident – tried to get the attention of officers. He was warned: ‘Back up or you’ll go to jail too!’
“Right now he’s going to jail,” another officer said. “He’s going to jail and there’s nothing you can do about it. Period of time.’
“Can you please help me?” In the stunning clip, a panicked Scheffler could be heard asking a nearby reporter.
It is claimed that the officers had no idea who Scheffler was, as Darlington claimed: ‘A police officer came up to me with his notepad and said – pen in hand – ‘Can you tell me the name of the person we just arrested ?’ ‘