Scottie Scheffler Handcuffed and Arrested by Police before PGA’s Second Round

Here’s a new way to try and stop the No. 1 golfer in the world. Arrest him.

On Friday morning, golfer Scottie Scheffler was handcuffed and arrested by police as he tried to enter the Valhalla Golf Club and prepare for Friday’s second round.

The incident occurred after an accident with a shuttle bus killed a man around 5 a.m. Louisville time. The police were re-routing traffic through the area, and as the golfers had been instructed to do, Scheffler attempted to drive around the backed up traffic and show his player pass to the officer on duty.

Instead of waving him through, which had happened for other golfers that morning, the officer attempted to stop Scheffler by attaching himself to Scheffler’s car, who then stopped at the entrance to the course. At that point, the police officer reached into the car and grabbed Scheffler, yelling at him to exit the vehicle. Scheffler did, was then pushed up against the vehicle and handcuffed, and placed in the back of a police car. At that point, a second officer told ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the entire incident, “He’s going to jail.”

Darlington reports that the police didn’t know that Scheffler was a golfer in the tournament, and Scheffler didn’t know that there had been an accident in the morning that was causing traffic to be re-routed.

Scheffler is largely considered one of the most mild-mannered golfers on tour. He now has pending charges for assaulting a police officer, criminal mischief, and reckless driving.

All players are given a courtesy car to drive, which includes PGA Championship markings and a “P” in the upper driver’s side window to signify that it’s a player’s car. That’s why other players were waved into the golf course, and why Scheffler thought he would also be waved in.

Scheffler was booked by Louisville police, he had his mugshot taken, and was then released on his own recognizance with just enough time to make it back to the course and make his 10:08 am tee time. Adding to the surreal nature of the entire morning, it was one of the owners of Valhalla that personally drove Scheffler from the police station and back to the golf course.

Upon returning to Valhalla, Scheffler gave a statement to Darlington:

“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put that to the side and focus on golf today.

“Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.”

Moving Betting Odds Reflect Morning Incident

Early in the morning on Friday, Xander Schauffele was the favorite to go on and win the PGA Championship. His record 62 in Thursday’s first round left him with a three-stroke lead, and as the second round favorite paying +230. He finished the first round with a five-shot lead on Scheffler.

When Scheffler was first arrested, his odds dropped to +750 to win the tournament. When word was out that he was being taken to jail, it moved to +850. But by the time he was back at the course and ready to make his tee time, the odds on Scheffer were at +450. After he birdied the first hole, that number dropped to +400.