World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler faced a dramatic turn of events when he was arrested and charged with felony assault on Friday morning outside the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. The charges stem from an incident where Scheffler allegedly injured a police officer while attempting to drive past the scene of a fatal crash.
Scheffler was charged with felony second-degree assault on a police officer, along with lesser charges including third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic, according to Jefferson County court records.
Despite his arrest, Scheffler was released from jail in time to return to the Valhalla Golf Course for the second round of the tournament. At 10 a.m., he hit his first tee shot of the day, earning applause from the crowd, and birdied the first hole.
Scheffler’s attorney informed CNN that he intends to plead not guilty to the charges. In a statement, Scheffler described the incident as a “big misunderstanding.”
“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,” Scheffler stated on Instagram. “I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.” The arrest of Scheffler, renowned as an “upright, outstanding” player and a new father, turned the PGA Championship into what ESPN anchor Dave Flemming described as “a championship in chaos.” Scheffler, 27, recently won his second Masters title and was the overwhelming favorite in the PGA Championship.
