As the leaders prepared to tee off on the final day of the PGA Championship, only the occasional free Scottie T-shirt was a lasting reminder that just two before the world No. 1 was arrested at the gates of Valhalla, but Louisville residents worry the saga will leave a scar.
When the golf world descended on Louisville, Kentucky for the second major of the year, they expected to witness the sport’s greatest defeat, Valhalla. Instead, they got the surreal sight of a two-time major winner being led away in handcuffs.
What was arguably more surreal was that by the time he finished his final round at the PGA Championship, shooting a brilliant 65 for a partial score of 13 under, he was in the top 10. A remarkable achievement considering the bizarre events 48 hours earlier. .
But while prisoner No. 00654436 managed to save his tournament, locals believe the damage to their commonwealth is beyond repair.
The professionals are now packed up – Xander Schauffele with the Wanamaker in tow – the spectators are long gone with their loads of merchandise, the PGA of America has already begun to dismantle the theater of Valhalla and Louisville fears they will never return. Worrying, but not entirely surprising.
Locals in Louisville are concerned that the Scottie Scheffler saga will tarnish the city’s reputation
Scheffler was arrested last week during dramatic scenes at the 2024 PGA Championship
“It looked on the nose of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, they can be a little overzealous,” Chase, 35, told DailyMail.com as he waited in one of the many winding concession lines at the Pouring Bar on Sunday’s fire.
‘It was a bit of a black eye this week. It was a very beautiful, exciting week. A lot has been built up in recent years. But hopefully the finish of the tournament will wash that away.
“For people outside of Louisville who may not be familiar with the event in recent years, it could impact the city’s reputation. Between the PGA stealing their share of Valhalla and what happened on Friday, it seems like a perfect storm not to come back.”
He wasn’t alone in his fears. Taylor, 33, who also attended the tournament this weekend, agreed that Friday’s “wild” events will have “a negative effect” on the PGA’s return to Valhalla.
“I grew up five minutes from here, so I know the road very well and all the traffic, and it just seemed like it wasn’t what it was,” Wes, 31, added. ‘Tough situation for today. I’m sure it was a big misunderstanding, everyone was tense from the morning.
“We know we’ll never get another PGA. This is the last one, I’m sure. But it doesn’t surprise us, we get a bad rap for a lot of things.’
The existing bad reputation that Valhalla locals admitted to having stems from the death of Breonna Taylor in 2020.
Taylor, a 26-year-old black medical worker, was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police during a botched raid on her apartment, sparking widespread unrest over policing and racial injustice in the United States. Scheffler’s Louisville attorney, Steve Romines, previously represented Taylor’s boyfriend in a civil suit against the city a few years ago.
Remarkably, by the time he completed his final lap he was in the top 10
Xander Schauffele finally captured a major title, winning the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday
Louisville, home of the Kentucky Derby, welcomes the rush of racegoers through the city on their annual outings, especially earlier this month when the race’s 150th anniversary was celebrated. The city also has a soccer team, albeit in the USL Championship rather than the MLS. But it doesn’t have a franchise in any of America’s four major sports.
The major championship was a source of sporting pride for the city. Every spectator, vendor and taxi driver was excited about hosting the tournament during the week.
The tournament combined with the Derby was expected to produce Louisville’s largest tournament each May, with Louisville Tourism estimating that the American PGA would generate an impact of $80 million. But with one ‘misunderstanding’, all that revenue could be wiped out by the black cloud that lingered over Valhalla this week.
“I thought it was an unfortunate event and there are three sides to every story: his side, their side and the truth,” Marcia, 62, began as she took shelter in the shade of the trees along the tenth fairway.
‘It put such a beautiful event in the spotlight. Especially with the worker being hit and killed earlier and the whole escalation of everything, this put a cloud over Louisville, which is a shame.
“There has been so much attention on Louisville because of the events of the last few years. And then this happens.
“This is a beautiful golf course and I hope the PGA comes back because I know that we as residents of Jefferson County really embrace this event and really think it’s great for the economy. It’s a great opportunity to show how beautiful Kentucky is. I hope it doesn’t cast a bad light on Louisville.”
Her friend Lisa, 62, chimed in: ‘I hope Scottie likes to come back too, just not in an orange jumpsuit!’
Home of the Kentucky Derby, Louisville welcomes the rush of racegoers every year
Lisa will get her wish, just much sooner than she expected. Scheffler’s hearing, initially scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. in Louisville, has now been postponed to June 3, according to Sports Illustrated. At the hearing, he will face four charges, including second-degree assault on a police officer – a misdemeanor.
It’s the Masters champion’s next big mission. Before he can turn his attention to tackling Pinhurst next month, Scheffler must first escape the charge linking two green jackets to an orange jumpsuit. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Whispers around Valhalla suspect the charges will be dropped.
“I hope the city will really look into everything and take it into consideration,” Marcia added. “If he broke the rules, he should face the punishment, as we all would. “I don’t think there should be any special treatment for him just because he’s a PGA golfer, but I also think they should be honest with him and consider whether this was a misunderstanding.”
Others don’t have to wait for the city’s deliberations. Their decision has already been made: Scottie must walk away free.
“I was surprised,” said Evan, 30, of Shelbyville. ‘I thought he would be held for a short time and then accepted into the tournament. I didn’t expect him to be booked at all. It’s humiliating. I think the charges will be dropped, it seemed a bit unnecessary.”
Locals expressed concern that the PGA would never return to Valhalla
“People want him to be punished for that, but that’s not really fair to him if it was a misunderstanding,” Jennifer, 35, pointed out.
‘That’s what people always want to see. They don’t want him to just walk away just because of who he is.”
Future PGA Championships will continue through 2031, with another already scheduled for PGA Frisco in 2034. The next Senior PGA Championship yet to be awarded is in 2026, the next open Women’s PGA in 2028, and the next available U.S. Open is in 2043. And don’t even think about the Ryder Cup, there are no openings for another one on American soil until 2041.
With Valhalla likely having to wait years for another chance, could last week have been Louisville’s last hurray?