Before the second round of the PGA Championship, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler was arrested when arriving at Valhalla, supposedly over a misunderstanding concerning traffic flow after an earlier accident.
However, he was later charged with “second-degree assault of a police office, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.”
At one point, it seemed doubtful as to whether Scheffler would be able to resume his bid for a third Major title, although he was returned to the course in good time to play his second round.
Despite the unexpected events at the start of the day, Scheffler, who shot a four-under 67 in the opening round, remains close to the top of the leaderboard as his attempt to follow his second win at The Masters in April with his maiden PGA Championship title remains very much on track.
If the American does lift the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday evening, though, his victory celebrations are likely to be short-lived as, according to court documents, his arraignment hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 9am.
Barstool Sports' Dan Rapaport added more on the possible next steps. He wrote on X: "Spoke to a Louisville defense attorney. Said a judge would've been made aware of the arrest this morning and set the bond.
"That they let Scheffler go means they felt very little risk he wouldn't show up when required. Also said it's odd to charge someone with a felony, make them change into jumpsuit, take a mugshot then let him go.
"The next step is the case goes to pretrial services. Legally authorities must interview/assess the defendant within 24 hours of the arrest. Then the prosecutor’s office either recommends to pursue or not pursue the charges."
Spoke to a Louisville defense attorney. Said a judge would've been made aware of the arrest this morning and set the bond. That they let Scheffler go means they felt very little risk he wouldn't show up when required. Also said it's odd to charge someone with a felony, make them…May 17, 2024
Following his arrest, Scheffler released a statement that read: “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. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions.”
However, an arrest report disagrees with Scheffler’s interpretation of events, explaining that Detective Bryan Gillis had been directing traffic to the course when he stopped Scheffler in his car.
It then states he “attempted to give instructions,” but Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground.”
