Scottie Scheffler will challenge criminal charges after chaotic arrest before PGA second round

Scottie Scheffler hits from a bunker on the 18th hole during the third round of the 2024 PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, on 18 May 2024. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Erik S Lesser)

By Craig Ray

19 May 2024

The lawyer for world No 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler says he will contest all charges if they are not dropped.

Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No 1 golfer, will challenge any charges brought by the Louisville Police Force after being accused of assaulting an officer.

Scheffler (27) was on his way to the course for the second round of the PGA Championship when the incident occurred.

An earlier accident, in which a pedestrian was killed, caused a huge traffic back-up. Scheffler apparently tried to go around some static traffic to get to the Valhalla Golf Club to start his preparations for the round, which was due to start shortly before 9am local time.

According to numerous reports, Detective Bryan Gillis accused Scheffler of refusing to comply and of “dragging” him along as he tried to stop the golfer driving away.

Scheffler was then arrested and taken away in handcuffs. A mugshot of him in an orange jumpsuit was published by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections.

Read more in Daily Maverick: World No 1 Scottie Scheffler arrested on way to course for PGA Championship second round

According to Scheffler’s arrest report: “Detective Gillis suffered pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist and knees. He was transported to the hospital for further medical treatment by emergency medical personnel. Detective Gillis’s uniform pants, valued at approximately $80, were damaged beyond repair.”

The charges against the golfer were listed as second-degree assault of an officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding police traffic signals.

Scheffler is due in court on Tuesday where a judge will decide whether to continue proceedings with the indictments.

Cole Turner of New York wears a T-shirt with the Louisville Metro Corrections mugshot of Scottie Scheffler at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, on 17 May 2024. (Photo: Matt Stone-USA Today Sports)

“They [the charges] will either be dropped or we will go to trial because Scottie didn’t do anything wrong,” Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, told Golf Channel. “So, we’re not interested in any sort of settlement negotiations or anything like that. It was just a big miscommunication.

“There had been a traffic fatality down the road and so there were different traffic directions going on and traffic control officers were advising different things,” Romines said.

“Scottie was advised by one officer to go around the traffic and turn left into the facility. But the officer who charged him obviously didn’t know that. So, that’s where the miscommunication occurred.

“It was kind of a perfect storm… [but] one thing needs to be clear. He didn’t drive through any accident scene, or, through any investigation. None of that happened, but that kind of misinformation is out there.”

Released

Scheffler was released after a few hours, with organisers of the PGA Championship delaying all tee-off times because of the disruptions caused by the accident.

Scheffler carded a second-round five-under 66, to move to nine-under after two rounds. Fans with pictures of Scheffler’s mugshot were seen at the course during the second round.

After his round, Scheffler’s first words to the media were to offer condolences to the family of John Mills, the man killed in the accident.

“My sympathies go out to the family of Mr Mills. I can’t imagine what they’re going through this morning,” Scheffler said.

“One day he’s heading to the golf course to watch a tournament. A few moments later he’s trying to cross the street, and now he’s no longer with us. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. My heart – I feel for them. I’m sorry.

“My situation will get handled. It was a chaotic situation and a big misunderstanding. I can’t comment on any of the specifics of it, so I feel like y’all are going to be disappointed,” Scheffler said.

“It was just a big misunderstanding. If you’ve got any questions about the golf today, I’m happy to answer that, but outside of that, I can’t get into what transpired, outside of my heart goes out to the family.”

Scottie Scheffler takes a shot on the second green during the third round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, on 18 May 2024. (Photo: Matt Stone-USA Today Sports)

Jail cell warm-up

“My head is still spinning,” Scheffler said. “I can’t really explain what happened this morning. I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell.

“That was a first for me. That was part of my warm-up. I was just sitting there waiting and I started going through my warm-up. I felt like there was a chance I may be able to still come out here and play. I started going through my routine and I tried to get my heart rate down as much as I could.

“I was pretty rattled, to say the least. But the officer that took me to the jail was very kind. He was great. We had a nice chat in the car and that kind of helped calm me down.

“I was sitting there waiting to go in [to the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Correction] and I asked him: ‘Can you just come hang out with me for a few minutes so I can calm down?’ I was never angry. I was just in shock, and my body was shaking the whole time. I was shaking for like an hour.

“I’m grateful that we have such strong police, and they’re our protectors out there, and like I said, we just got into a chaotic situation this morning,” he said.

“That’s really all it was. This one older officer looked at me as I was doing my fingerprints and says: ‘So, do you want the full experience today?’ I didn’t know what he meant but he said: ‘Come on, man, you want a sandwich?’ I was like: ‘Sure.’ I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. I mean, they were really kind.

“They had just had an accident. I didn’t know what had happened at the time, I didn’t know that it was fatal. But no, at no point did I try to name-drop myself to defuse the situation. I just tried to remain as calm as possible and just follow instructions.”

Scheffler’s third round on Saturday did not go well as he slipped out of contention for the season’s second major with a two-over-par round of 73. DM

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