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Scottie Scheffler calls arrest ‘a chaotic situation’ after 2nd round of PGA Championship

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Scottie Scheffler calls arrest ‘a chaotic situation’ after 2nd round of PGA Championship

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Following a 5-under round that moved him to 9 under for the PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler reiterated his arrest outside Valhalla Golf Club on Friday morning was “a big misunderstanding” between himself and Louisville Metro Police.

“My situation will get handled,” the world’s top-ranked golfer said after his second round concluded. “It was a chaotic situation.”

Scheffler told reporters he couldn’t “comment on any of the specifics” surrounding his arrest or the charges stemming from it: second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.

As for the timeline of getting them resolved, he was of the belief that things will move “fairly quickly.”

“I feel like my head is still spinning,” he 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.”

Scheffler was detained at 6:20 a.m. outside Valhalla Golf Club, according to his arrest citation. His tee time was initially set for 8:48 a.m., but a fatal accident involving a pedestrian and a shuttle bus in the area delayed the start of the second round.

In Scheffler’s arrest citation, LMPD says he was driving eastbound in a marked PGA player vehicle toward Gate 1 when he pulled into a westbound lane, “where outbound traffic was flowing,” to avoid the backup caused by the collision.

LMPD Detective Bryan Gillis was “in the middle of the westbound lanes, in full uniform and a hi-visibility yellow reflective rain jacket,” when he stopped the golfer and “attempted to give instructions,” the citation says.

From there, LMPD alleges Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground.” The citation says Gillis “suffered pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist and knee.”

Gillis was transported to a hospital by emergency workers for treatment, according to the document. His uniform pants, which LMPD values at about $80, were “damaged beyond repair.”

Recalling the incident hours later, Scheffler said, “I was never angry. I was just in shock.”

From the time he was put into the back of a police car until his release on personal recognizance, Scheffler told reporters the officers he dealt with were “really kind” and helped calm his nerves.

“A couple of them made some jokes, I think, when they figured out who I was and what happened and how I ended up there,” he said.

While he was behind bars, Scheffler said he was able to catch a glimpse of ESPN’s PGA Championship coverage on a nearby TV. When he saw that the start of the second round had been delayed, he began pondering whether he could make it back to Valhalla Golf Club for his tee time.

“I’m just sitting there. I don’t really know what was going on,” he said. “At the time, I couldn’t even remember what my original tee time was. I was just trying to do my best to stay calm.”

Scheffler arrived back at the course with roughly an hour to spare. He said he “leaned on” his team “pretty heavily” to get him into the competitive mindset. Support from fans — some wearing orange jumpsuits, others wearing shirts with “Free Scottie” on them, helped, too.

“I felt like they were cheering extra loud for me today,” he said.

Scheffler is set to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to court records.

In Kentucky, second-degree assault is a Class C felony, punishable by between five and 10 years in prison, that occurs when a person either:

  • Intentionally causes serious physical injury to another person
  • Intentionally causes physical injury to another person by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument
  • Wantonly causes serious physical injury to another person by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument.

Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, told The Courier Journal his client “didn’t do anything wrong” and had his credentials visible inside his marked vehicle.

He also said the golfer will plead not guilty and that the matter will be litigated “as needed.”

“He was following the instructions of another traffic control officer and trying to get into the facility to warm up and work out,” Romines said.

Scheffler arrived at Valhalla as the odds-on favorite to win the PGA, according to oddsmakers.

The 27-year-old has four victories in his last five PGA Tour events, including this year’s Masters, and tied for second in the tournament he didn’t win. He’s only the third player in the last 30 years (Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh are the others) with five straight top-two finishes on the PGA Tour.

If he’s victorious at Valhalla Golf Club, he’ll become the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2015 to start a year with back-to-back major championship victories.

He’ll try to make history with a heavy heart. At multiple points during Friday afternoon’s post-round news conference, he expressed his condolences to the family of the man killed in the collision, 69-year-old John Mills, who was working security with one of the vendors at the PGA Championship.

“I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” he said. “One day, he’s heading to the golf course to watch a tournament. A few moments later, he’s trying to cross the street; and now he’s no longer with us.

“I can’t imagine what they’re going through. My heart — I feel for them. I’m sorry.”

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack. Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton. Reach reporter Josh Wood at jwood@courier-journal.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @JWoodJourno.

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