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Scottie Scheffler arrested: What happened and how golf reacted
Golf had never witnessed anything like it, not during a major anyway. Scottie Scheffler was arrested and taken to a police station where he was put in a prisoner’s orange jumpsuit before being charged for second-degree assault of a police officer.
The world No 1, who has a reputation for being perhaps the most uncontroversial, placid character on Tour, was then released and had to hurtle back to the Valhalla course to compete in the second day of the 106th US PGA Championship.
It was a bizarre, unprecedented situation, but – contrary to the reaction on social media – was anything but humorous. Scheffler will be called to court in Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city, on Tuesday to face four indictments that could conceivably see the Masters champion jailed and/or fined after a police officer claimed the golfer had dragged him down a road when accelerating as he tried to prevent the player’s car from entering the club gates.
Scheffler explained “it was a big misunderstanding”, but a police report stated that the officer was hospitalised by the injuries he suffered.
While golf has before viewed some of its biggest stars in police mug shots – Tiger Woods was famously arrested for driving under the influence after being found asleep at the wheel in 2017 – the serious nature of the Scheffler allegations are hugely concerning, despite the sport rallying around the 27-year-old and the fans here chanting about his innocence as he eventually played in his second round.
