Star golfer Scottie Scheffler arrested over alleged assault on police officer 

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - LOUISVILLE — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with a felony and other counts Friday morning outside the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, after reportedly trying to drive around the scene of a fatal crash.

Scheffler was charged with felony second-degree assault on a police officer, along with lesser charges of third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic, according to Jefferson County court records.

He was then released from jail and returned to the Valhalla Golf Course for the second round of the tournament. Shortly after 10 a.m., he struck his first tee shot of the day, earning a round of applause from the crowd, and birdied the first hole.

Scheffler called the incident a “misunderstanding.”

“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,” he said in a statement on Instagram. “I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.”

The arrest of the world’s best golfer – known as an “upright, outstanding” player who became a father just days ago – dramatically transformed one of golf’s major tournaments into, as ESPN’s PGA set anchor Dave Flemming said, “a championship in chaos.”

The incident began when Scheffler drove to the Valhalla Golf Club for the second round of the tournament around 6 a.m., according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who witnessed and filmed the arrest.

Earlier in the morning, a pedestrian had been fatally struck by a bus while trying to cross the main road leading to the course, Louisville Metro Police Department spokesperson Dwight Mitchell said. Police presence around the entrance to the course was therefore elevated.

When Scheffler arrived, he tried to drive around the crash scene on a median, according to ESPN, which first reported Scheffler’s detention. “A police officer instructed Scheffler to stop, but Scheffler continued to drive about 10 to 20 yards toward the entrance,” ESPN said.

“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,” Darlington posted on X. Scheffler was in a marked player courtesy vehicle, Darlington said on ESPN.

Police walked with Scheffler, who was in handcuffs, and placed him into a police vehicle, Darlington’s video shows.

“Right now he’s going to jail,” an officer at the scene says in the video.

Louisville police are expected to make a statement about the arrest on Friday after reviewing video of the incident, a senior law enforcement official said. Preliminary information indicates an officer tried to stop Scheffler from going around the detour, and Scheffler‘s car made contact with that officer. The officer was not seriously injured.

Scheffler’s attorney said the arrest stemmed from a misunderstanding.

“They were directing traffic, he held his media credential out and was going in like they’d been instructed to,” attorney Steve Romines told CNN affiliate WLKY.

Romines said the golfer was unaware of the earlier crash. “I think the officer that was directing traffic was maybe not part of the event traffic detail, and so that’s where the miscommunication arose, and that’s why we’re here.”

He declined to comment on why Scheffler was charged with assault, saying he will let the case play out in court. “Scottie will cooperate fully,” Romines said.

The pedestrian who died in the earlier crash was a worker with a PGA of America vendor, the organizer of the PGA Championship, said in a statement.

“This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones,” the organization said.

The man’s death “truly puts everything in perspective,” Scheffler said in his statement.

Scheffler’s arrest represents a stark contrast from his clean image, said David Dusek, senior writer at Golfweek.

“Scottie Scheffler is one of the most squeaky clean, upright, outstanding, well-respected players out here on the PGA tour,” Dusek said. “He is someone who is known for having a very calm, level head on the golf course and he keeps that when he’s off the golf course as well.”

Scheffler was the overwhelming favorite ahead of the season’s second major, seeking to go back-to-back following his Masters triumph last month.

After a stellar 2023 campaign that saw him retain the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year title, Scheffler this season has only consolidated his status as the dominant force in men’s golf. Just one week after a commanding victory at The Arnold Palmer Invitational, he mounted a stunning late charge to become the first player to ever defend The Players Championship.

Since then, the 27-year-old has looked borderline unstoppable, as victory at the RBC Heritage – just one week on from easing into his second green jacket at Augusta – made it four wins in five starts.

Scheffler last week stepped away from competitive action to be with wife Meredith as she gave birth to the couple’s first child, Bennett.

“Sitting at home with the girl I dated in high school with our child and then the Green Jacket sitting in the closet is a pretty insane feeling,” he said, “and I just wanted to be as thankful as possible.”

Following play Thursday in Louisville, Scheffler was looking ahead to trying to “clean up a few of the mistakes,” he said.

“I missed two putts I felt like I should have holed today, but that’s going to happen when the greens get a little chewed up,” he said. “I felt like there was a couple things I can clean up going into tomorrow, but overall today was a solid round.” — CNN