LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Scottie Scheffler fired a second-round 66 Friday to position himself well heading into the weekend at the PGA Championship, but that's not what anybody wanted to talk about.
The No. 1 golfer in the world was arrested prior to the round Friday morning attempting to drive into the club. According to Scheffler, he was unaware a fatal crash involving a pedestrian and shuttle bus occurred earlier in the morning just outside the entrance.
Dozens of Louisville Metro police officers were directing traffic in the dark and pouring rain, leading to what Scheffler called a "big misunderstanding."
"I feel like my head is still spinning," Scheffler said to reporters after his round. "I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me. I was fortunate to make it back out and play some golf today."
According to an arrest citation, an LMPD officer was directing traffic into Gate 1 of Valhalla after the road was closed both directions due to the earlier fatal crash at about 5 a.m. Scheffler allegedly attempted to drive past the police officer to get into the club.
The officer stopped Scheffler and tried to give him instructions, according to the citation, but Scheffler allegedly refused to listen and accelerated forward "dragging" the officer to the ground. The officer sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Scheffler was charged with felony 2nd degree assault of a police officer, and misdemeanor counts of 3rd degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic.
Scheffler declined to get into specifics of the incident, but called the scene "chaotic."
"I was just really confused," he said. "I was trying my best to diffuse the situation and remain calm as possible. When they got me out of the car, I said, 'I'm sorry I'm just trying to make my tee time.' Things escalated from there. I did numerous apologies. I didn't know what had happened at the time."
Scheffler also gave his condolences to the family of the man who was killed Friday morning.
He will be arraigned on his charges Tuesday in Louisville.
Scheffler was able to get processed at the jail downtown -- about 20 miles from Valhalla -- and make it back to the course about 50 minutes before his 10:08 a.m. tee time. He said he was "rattled" and "shaking" following the arrest.
"The officer that took me to jail was very kind," Scheffler said. "We had a nice chat in the car and that helped to calm me down. I was never angry, I was just in shock.
"This one older officer looked at me [in jail] and asks, 'Do you want the full experience today?' I wasn't really sure how to answer. He's like, 'Do you want a sandwich?'"
Scheffler was able to put the bizarre morning behind him and play well. He birdied his first hole of the day and made just one bogey on his way to a 5-under 66 to put him -9 for the championship.
Large galleries followed him all day and offered plenty of support.
"It was really nice. The fans were tremendous and I felt like they were cheering extra loud today," he said. "It took a few holes to feel normal."
The Jefferson County Attorney's Office released a brief statement about 5 p.m. Friday saying it is "still obtaining information in the case of Mr. Scheffler and will review and proceed accordingly.”
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