Golf’s No. 1, Scottie Scheffler, was detained by the police when he tried to access Valhalla Club Golf, home of the 2024 PGA Championship. The player, who has already been released, was handcuffed and put in a patrol car after trying to access the premises, ignoring an officer, who went after him along with his partner and proceeded to arrest him while an ESPN journalist recorded it.
He now faces charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals, according to ESPN.
Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
Traffic jam caused by a fatal accident, the origin of the incident
ESPN’s Jeff Darlinton, a firsthand witness to the incident, noted that "World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club. The police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla. The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. He is now being detained in the back of a police car."
The incident was the result of a fatal accident that occurred near the club, which caused a massive traffic jam at the entrance and the deployment of the police, as well as the delay of the second day of the tournament. Scheffler tried to access the venue where the PGA Championship is held, and that is when the confrontation with the officers took place.
According to Daily Mail, Darlington had tried to tell the officers who they were arresting while they were taking the golfer away, but they warned him: “Back up or you'll go to jail also!” A second police officer noted that “he's going to jail right now. He's going to jail and there's nothing he can do about it. Period.” According to Darlington, the situation was "very fast and aggressive." Scheffler was placed in a patrol car, still handcuffed, before being released.
‘Very chaotic’
In his first statements after the incident, Scheffler said that everything had been a "big misunderstanding." In statements obtained by Darlington, the golfer assured that he did not want to disobey the instructions of the officials, but simply did not understand what they were asking him.
"Im hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today," he added regarding the "very chaotic" situation before the start of the second round of the tournament.
He also expressed his "deepest sympathies" to the family members of the deceased in the accident near the club. "It truly puts everything in perspective."
