Heading into the second round of the PGA Championship, the story should’ve been the world’s No. 3-ranked golfer Xander Schauffele seizing the lead at the Louisville tournament by shooting an opening-round 62, tying the record for the lowest round at a major championship. Instead, the story of Day 2 of the PGA Championship is the world’s top-ranked golfer getting arrested while trying to drive into Valhalla Golf Club after traffic was stopped outside the course because a man was struck and killed by a shuttle bus.
Set to tee off a bit before 9 a.m., Scheffler drove his vehicle on a median past a difficult-to-identify police officer in an SUV. The 27-year-old allegedly didn’t stop until after he had been screamed at and an officer attached himself to the golfer’s car. “After about 20 to 30 seconds, Scheffler rolled down his window to talk to the officer. The officer grabbed Scheffler’s arm to pull him out of the vehicle,” according to ESPN. “The officer reached inside the vehicle to open the door, and once Scheffler was pulled out, he was pushed against the car and placed in handcuffs.”
Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
Scheffler was booked by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections just before 7:30 a.m. and charged with second-degree assault of a police officer (felony), third-degree criminal mischief (misdemeanor), reckless driving (violation) and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic (misdemeanor).
Despite being charged with a felony about an hour beforehand, the reigning Masters champion and favorite to win this weekend in Louisville was released at 8:40 a.m. and began making his way back to Valhalla for his tee time, which was pushed back because of disruption caused by the killed pedestrian (who has been identified as a worker at the tournament).
Given the felony charge, especially as it involves the assault of a police officer, it’s difficult to imagine someone, especially an athlete, getting arrested, processed and released in just over an hour, but perhaps Scheffler being a member of the PGA Tour as opposed to an NBA or NFL player worked in his favor.
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When Tiger Woods won the Masters at the age of 21, Hughes Norton was his agentScheffler’s attorney said it would be up to his client whether he plays today in the second round, but it certainly sounds as if the two-time major winner, who is five shots behind Schauffele in a group that includes defending champion Brooks Koepka, intends to hit the links and has a tee time shortly after 10 a.m.
His “stardom confirmed” and already drawing comparisons to Tiger Woods, the links between Scheffler and the 15-time major winner will only become more pronounced following this incident. A boring superstar on Thursday night, Scheffler made himself into TMZ fodder on Friday morning and can shoot himself into another stratosphere of fame if he’s able to play well in the tournament, let alone win it.
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