Golfer Scottie Scheffler’s recent arrest led to a major roast from his fellow PGA Tour stars.
“He handled it really well,” fellow golfer Xander Schauffele said of Scheffler, 27, during a “Pardon My Take” podcast appearance on Wednesday, May 22. “He’s a good dude. As soon as I saw it, I thought it was a prank. Then, I saw it on the news and was like, ‘Holy smokes, this actually happened.’ It feels like he’s going to come out OK from all of this.”
Schauffele, 30, said that Scheffler “took it like a champ,” noting that other golfers — including Gary Woodland, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas — were “heckling Scottie” in their group chat. It was also confirmed that the group chat’s photo is now Scheffler’s mugshot.
Us Weekly confirmed that Scheffler was detained by the Louisville Metro Police on Friday, May 17, after a pedestrian was struck in an accident. Because of the accident, the road into the Valhalla Golf Club was closed and the 2024 PGA Championship was delayed.
“At about 5:07 this morning, in front of Gate 2 at Valhalla Golf Club, a pedestrian was fatally struck by a shuttle bus,” the LMPD shared in a statement to Us. “LMPD expresses its sincere condolences to the family of the individual who died as a result of that collision. All lanes of traffic at the scene were closed while the fatality investigation occurred.”
While the incident was ongoing, Scheffler attempted to enter the golf club but was stopped by a police officer. He was arrested after trying to enter through the blocked road.
“While an officer was directing traffic, an encounter with a motorist attempting to make entry into a restricted area ultimately led to the driver being arrested,” the statement continued. “We are in the process of conducting a thorough investigation. We are appreciative that all parties involved are fully cooperating.”
ESPN later reported that Scheffler’s incident occurred after Detective Bryan Gillis stopped the golfer from driving into closed lanes. Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward,” allegedly dragging the detective to the ground. The athlete has been charged with felony for second-degree assault of a police officer and three misdemeanors: third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
Despite the arrest, Scheffler competed in the PGA Championship and is still ranked first in the PGA Tour.
Scheffler spoke out about the “chaotic situation” in a statement on Friday as well.
“There was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do,” he said. “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.”
