Scottie Scheffler arrested near PGA Championship after ignoring police

May 17, 2024 Updated 12:58 PM PT

Scottie Scheffler got to tee off Friday at the PGA Championship, hours after being arrested in connection with a traffic incident that injured a police officer on his way to Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.

The world’s No. 1 golfer was accused of ignoring police who were directing traffic after a bus struck and killed a pedestrian. Scheffler, who won the Masters for the second time last month, was booked at 7:28 a.m. on four charges: second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.

About 90 minutes earlier, a pedestrian had been struck by a bus while crossing the road outside the country club. Police said the man was pronounced dead at the scene. In a statement, the PGA Championship identified the man as “a worker with one of our vendors.”

"This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family…
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2024

Scheffler was handcuffed and taken to jail. He was released and back at the course at 9:12 a.m. Because of the crash, second-round play was delayed, and Scheffler’s tee time was rescheduled for 10:08. He was seen laughing as he warmed up on the driving range and made a birdie on his first hole.

Scottie Scheffler watches his tee shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship.

He had six birdies and one bogey on the day and finished at five-under 66, which put him in a third-place tie at nine under and three shots off the lead, with other players still on the course.

Speaking after his round, Scheffler described the events leading to his arrest as “a chaotic situation, a big misunderstanding” that he feels will “get resolved fairly quickly.”

“I feel like my head’s still spinning,” Scheffler said. “I can’t really explain what happened this morning. I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell — that was a first for me — as part of my warm-up. I thought there was a chance I may still be able to come out here and play, and so I started going through my routine. I tried to get my heart rate down as much as I could.”

After the bus collision, traffic was backed up for at least a mile in both directions on the only road leading to the course. Scheffler attempted to drive around the crash scene — according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who reportedly witnessed the incident — and ignored a police officer who screamed for him to stop.

“I was driving in this morning, trying to get to my warm-up time and get ready for the round of golf,” Scheffler told reporters. “I didn’t really have an understanding of what had transpired.”

According to a police report posted on social media by Natalie Martinez of WAVE-TV in Louisville, “Detective [Bryan] Gillis stopped subject and attempted to give instructions. Subject refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground. Detective Gillis suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee. He was transported to the hospital for further medical treatment by emergency medical personnel.”

In a statement emailed to The Times, Louisville police said they are “still in the process of gathering information and investigating what transpired,” noting that “an encounter with a motorist attempting to make entry into a restricted area ultimately led to the driver being arrested.” Scheffler was not identified.

Scheffler’s arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday. His attorney, Steven Romines, told ESPN that the officer who tried to stop Scheffler wasn’t part of the event traffic staff at the club. “So that’s where the miscommunication arose,” Romines said.

“They [golfers] are allowed to go through. That’s why they have the credential and the wave-through,” Romines said. “[Scheffler] was unaware there had been a wreck, and he proceeded like they’d been instructed to. He did exactly as he was instructed to enter the premises.”

Scheffler said he was “in shock” over the arrest and told reporters it was a relief to get out on the course.

“I was shaking, I would say in shock and in fear. Coming out here and trying to play today was definitely a challenge,” he said. “But I did my best to control my mind, control my breathing and basically just calm down so I could come out here and try and play golf. I knew there would be a lot of distractions.

“I didn’t really know what the reception would be like. To be honest with you, it was great having the fans behind me.”