Charges against golfer Scottie Scheffler over arrest during PGA Championship dropped

(AFP/VOZ MEDIA) A prosecutor on Wednesday dropped assault charges against Scottie Scheffler, the world number one in golf, stemming from his arrest this month during his participation in the PGA Championship.

Jefferson County (Kentucky) Prosecutor Mike O'Connell filed a motion with the court "to dismiss all charges in this case against Mr. Scheffler," which was accepted by the judge.

In an episode that shook the sports world, the double winner of the Augusta Masters was briefly detained on May 17 for allegedly trying to evade a police checkpoint when he was heading early in the morning to the Valhalla course (Louisville), home of the Grand Slam tournament.

In the surroundings of the field there was then a significant traffic delay due to a previous accident in which a person was run over and killed.

The American golfer was handcuffed at the scene and booked into the police station, after which he was released and was able to continue his participation in the PGA Championship.

For the incident, Scheffler faced charges of assault on an officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving and disobeying police signals.

On Wednesday, prosecutor O'Connell told the court that the evidence against Scheffler does not meet the standards of probable cause required for a charge to be prosecuted.

"Therefore, based on the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward with the prosecution of the charges brought against Mr. Scheffler," O'Connell said at the session.

The prosecutor in the case against Scheffler affirms that it was all a "huge misunderstanding"

In his speech, the prosecutor said that the explanation offered by the golfer, who assured that the incident was due to a misunderstanding, "is corroborated by the evidence."

The local police had declared that Scheffler disobeyed the order to stop his vehicle and dragged a police officer to the ground, who suffered injuries that required hospital treatment, while the golfer's lawyer alleged that his client stopped when told to and called the episode "a huge misunderstanding."

The officer who arrested Scheffler was later reprimanded for not turning on his body camera during the arrest, the local police chief said this week.

Following the dropping of charges, Scheffler issued a statement on Instagram in which he expressed his willingness to "put this incident behind us."

"I don't hold a grudge against the officer," said the golfer. "Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard. "This was a serious miscommunication in a chaotic situation."

Scheffler, who finished the PGA Championship in eighth place, was considered the big favorite to win after having won four of the five tournaments played previously, including his second Augusta Masters.