(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 golfer in the world, was arrested Friday morning for allegedly driving past a police roadblock at the Valhalla Golf Club, according to ESPN.
The arrest came about an hour after a deadly accident near the golf course. Around 5 a.m., a man was fatally struck by a shuttle bus as he tried to cross a road near the course holding the PGA Championship, according to a statement released by Louisville Metro Police Department.
The roadblocks and confusion over the accident allegedly led Scheffler to drive past police who were on site, according to reports from ESPN.
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers,” Scheffler said in a statement on social media. “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.”
Scheffler was released from jail after processing around 8:40 a.m. local time, and returned to the course about an hour before his 10:08 a.m. tee time.
A “police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla,” according to ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington who witnessed the altercation take place right in front of him. “The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. He is now being detained in the back of a police car.”
Scheffler refused to comply with the police officer’s request to stop and “accelerated forward,” dragging the detective to the ground, according to the police report. The officer was taken to the hospital after suffering “pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist and knee.” The detective’s uniform pants, “valued at approximately $80, were damaged beyond repair,” according to the report.
Scheffler now faces charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic, according to the police report.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday morning.
Louisville police said that the start of the second round of the PGA Championship was delayed as a result of the accident. Scheffler had originally been scheduled for an 8:50 a.m. tee time, but it was delayed until 10:08 a.m. after the fatal accident.
The LMPD Traffic Unit is investigating and there have been no other injuries reported from the earlier incident.
Scheffler, 27, has won four tournaments on the tour this year, including a dominant performance at The Masters in April — his second Masters win and second major victory as well. He also won back-to-back marquee events in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.
He shot a 4-under 67 in the first round of this week’s PGA Championship — the second major of the year — and was five shots back of leader Xander Schauffele.
Scheffler has career earnings of $61 million on the PGA Tour alone, 10th all-time, according to the tour.
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