LOUISVILLE, Ky. — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested by Louisville Metro Police Friday morning after attempting to drive into the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club, site of this week's PGA Championship.
Traffic outside the golf course was stopped after a bus struck and killed a man around 5 a.m. ET.
Scheffler faces charges of second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals of an officer directing traffic. The assault charge is a felony; the rest are misdemeanors.
Major Jason Logsdon of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections told ESPN that Scheffler was released at 8:40 a.m. ET on Friday without bond. He arrived in Valhalla less than an hour before his scheduled departure at 10:08 a.m. ET.
“This morning I proceeded as directed by police officers,” Scheffler said in a statement. “It was a very chaotic situation, understandably considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a huge misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to ignore any of the instructions. I am hopeful that we will put this aside and focus on golf today.
“Of course, all of us involved in the tournament extend our deepest condolences to the family of the man who died in the earlier accident this morning. It really puts everything into perspective.”
According to ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, Scheffler was trying to drive around the accident scene along a median. A police officer ordered Scheffler to stop, but Scheffler continued driving 10 to 20 yards toward the entrance.
At one point, an officer pressed himself against the side of Scheffler's car. Scheffler stopped his car as it turned into the entrance to Valhalla Golf Club.
After about 20 to 30 seconds, Scheffler rolled down his window to speak to the officer. The officer grabbed Scheffler's arm to pull him out of the vehicle, according to Darlington. The officer reached inside the vehicle to open the door, and once Scheffler was pulled out, he was pushed against the car and handcuffed.
Darlington was standing in the doorway when Scheffler was detained. Darlington said Scheffler turned to him and asked, “Can you help?”
According to Darlington, an officer ordered him to back off.
“You have to get out of the way,” the officer told Darlington. “Right now he's going to jail and there's nothing you can do about it.”
The officer, identified in the arrest report as Det. Gillis was dragged “to the ground” and suffered “pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist” after the car “accelerated forward,” according to the police report.
The officer was dressed in a high-visibility reflective jacket when he stopped Scheffler's car to give him instructions, according to the arrest sheet. Gillis was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
Scheffler's attorney, Steven Romines, told ESPN that the golfer attempted to enter Valhalla Golf Club as he had been previously instructed, unaware that a fatal accident had occurred just down the road.
“I was going to Valhalla to work out,” Romines said. “He was preparing for his departure time. They were directing traffic. He took out his badge and entered as instructed. Apparently, there had been a traffic accident, perhaps even a death, on the way, and that had changed the patterns.” of traffic, and he was not aware of it.
Romines, speaking outside the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, said the officer who tried to stop Scheffler was not part of the event's regular traffic detail at Valhalla Golf Club, “so that's where the miscommunication arose.”
“They are allowed to pass, that's why they have the credential and the permit,” Romines said. “He did not know there had been an accident and he proceeded as instructed. He did exactly as he was told to enter the premises.”
Romines said Scheffler would cooperate fully with police and “we'll address it as it goes forward.”
Scheffler, 27, has won four of his last five starts, including his second major championship at the Masters in April.
The start of the second round was delayed after a bus struck and killed a pedestrian outside Valhalla Golf Club, a spokesperson for the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to ESPN.
The unidentified man was attempting to cross Shelbyville Road when he was struck in a bus lane. Police said the man died at the scene.
“This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker for one of our suppliers was tragically struck and killed by a bus outside Valhalla Golf Club,” the PGA of America said in a statement. “This is heartbreaking for everyone involved in the PGA Championship. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Several police officers and first responders were still at the scene as of 6:45 a.m. ET. Traffic had backed up on the road in dark, wet conditions, and buses taking fans to the golf course had been stopped.
The second round was scheduled to begin at 7:15 a.m. ET.
