LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Chaos ensued at the PGA Championship on a bizarre morning Friday with Scottie Scheffler arrested while trying to drive into the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club to prepare for his second round.
Then, hours after Scheffler was handcuffed, taken to Louisville Metro Corrections to be charged, processed and released, the No. 1 ranked player in the world went out and shot a stunning 5-under under-par 66 to stand at 9-under par and just two shots off the lead held by Collin Morikawa at 11-under.
Scheffler spoke about the arrest after the round.
“My head is still spinning,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler said he started his pre-round routine by stretching in his jail cell.
“I was pretty rattled to say the least…,” Scheffler said. “I was shaking for like an hour.”
The Scheffler incident occurred about an hour after a man, John Mills, who was working for a PGA Championship vendor, was struck and killed by a shuttle bus in front of the club entrance. That caused police to restrict passage of vehicles in the area.
Having no idea about that earlier incident, Scheffler, according to Louisville Police, continued to drive into the club entrance after being told to stop. The police report identified the officer as Det. Bryan Gillis.
“Subject refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground,” the report states.
Once Scheffler stopped his car, the officer pulled him from the courtesy vehicle he was driving, pushed him up against it and cuffed him.
Once he was driven to the station, Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. A mug shot was taken of him wearing a police-issue orange V-neck jail shirt.
The PGA of America delayed tee times for 80 minutes as a result of the death of the worked, which pushed Scheffler’s original 8:48 a.m. tee time to 10:08.
Scheffler was booked at 7:28 a.m., at which time a mug shot was taken.
At 8:40 a.m., he was released from custody.
Follow The Post’s latest coverage on Scottie Scheffler’s morning at the PGA Championship
And, at 9:12 a.m., Scheffler arrived to Valhalla, driven by back Range Rover SUV.
After eating a quick breakfast in player dining, Scheffler arrived to the practice area at 9:37 a.m. and was greeted by fellow players, including Rickie Fowler, who gave him a fist bump.
When he walked to the 10th tee for the first hole of his second round, massive crowds enveloped the teeing area and lined the fairway chanting his name.
“Scottie, Scottie, Scottie.’’
“We love you, Scottie.’’
There were even, “Free Scottie’’ chants that broke out.
The galleries were massive, more befitting for a Sunday afternoon final pairing than a miserable and rainy Friday morning second round.
Scheffler, true to his flat-line temperament on the golf course, outwardly appeared to be completely unaffected by what had to be an utterly rattling experience.
The way he acted, chatted with his playing partners, reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and reigning British Open champ Brian Harman, and the way he played, you would have had no idea anything out of the ordinary had happened with Scheffler on Friday.
He hit his first tee shot into the right rough, laid up into the fairway with an iron and stuffed his third shot to inside three feet for a tap-in birdie on the par-5 10th, his first hole.
Scheffler would make the turn in 3-under par with a birdie on No. 18, another par-5, and followed that with birdies on Nos. 2 and 4 to get to 8-under par, one shot behind Xander Schauffele’s lead at that moment.
It was a remarkable performance on what was a remarkable day.
Scheffler, before his round began, issued this statement: “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. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today. Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.”
Scheffler’s attorney, Steven Romines, described the incident to the Associated Press as a misunderstanding, saying, “The main thing is he was proceeding exactly as he was directed in a marked vehicle with credentials. He didn’t do anything intentionally wrong. We will litigate the case as it goes.”
Scheffler, whose wife, Meredith, gave birth to their first child, Bennett, on May 8, is due to be arraigned on May 21 in Louisville.
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