LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — The most shocking day in the history of major golf championships began with tragedy: Scottie Scheffler, the number one male player in the world, was arrested, booked into a local jail and released in time to play.
It was shortly after 5 a.m. on a rainy Friday morning when police were called to the street outside Valhalla Golf Club. A bus traveling on Shelbyville Road struck and killed John Mills, a local man who worked at the PGA Championship for a tournament supplier.
The fatal accident caused traffic to be shut down in both directions outside Valhalla, which is hosting the main championship for the first time in a decade. Scheffler arrived at the scene an hour later, amid steady rain and flashing police lights, looking to enter the property and begin preparation for the 8:48 a.m. tee time for Round 2 of the PGA Championship. A police and security presence outside the routine of a major championship is typical, even common. “I walk past cops like that probably 10 times a year,” said one PGA Tour swing coach, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter.
What happened next was anything but ordinary. When Scheffler, who was traveling eastbound, attempted to move his vehicle into the westbound lane, according to the Louisville Police Department arrest report, Detective Bryan Gillis attempted to stop the vehicle. The police report said Scheffler continued forward, “dragging Detective Gillis to the ground,” and noted that he suffered injuries that required medical treatment, as well as irreparable damage to the pants of his $80 uniform. Jeff Darlington, an Keynote USA NFL reporter assigned to cover the second golf major of the year, was at the scene and watched it unfold, reporting that Scheffler’s vehicle moved 10 to 20 yards before coming to a final stop.
Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, said Scheffler was originally instructed to enter and that the officer directing traffic was not part of the traffic detail for the event. “That’s where the lack of communication arose and that’s why we’re here,” Romines said Friday morning.
When Scheffler stopped, he rolled down the window and the officer reached in, grabbed Scheffler’s arm and opened the door, Darlington reported. The officer then handcuffed Scheffler and pushed him against the car. As Scheffler was escorted to a police car in the rainy darkness, video filmed by Darlington showed Scheffler turning to say, “Can you help?”
“You have to get out of the way,” another officer told Darlington. “Right now, he’s going to jail and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Scheffler was booked into the Louisville Department of Corrections at 7:28 a.m. and faces charges of second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and ignoring traffic signals of an officer directing traffic. . A court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
After taking mugshots in an orange jumpsuit that were quickly posted online and stretching inside a jail cell while wondering if he would be released in time, Scheffler was released at 8:40 a.m. and picked up in a black van with Valhalla co- Owner Jimmy Kirchdorfer in the passenger seat. He arrived at the course at 9:12 a.m., less than an hour before his 10:08 a.m. departure time, which had been delayed along with the rest of the course’s departures due to the long traffic jam caused by the accident.
Scheffler walked into the clubhouse, grabbed a quick breakfast and headed to the practice field with just over 30 minutes to spare for a shorter training session.
All eyes were on Scheffler’s team as they toured the practice area and the players’ bridge that connects the putting green and the range. Players turned their heads as the world No. 1 walked across the practice field to an open bay in the middle of the batting area, with 30 members of the media following as closely as they were allowed.
“Are you OK?” —Rickie Fowler asked Scheffler.
“Everything is fine,” Scheffler responded.
The crowd of thousands stood in the rain poking their heads around the corner hoping to catch a glimpse of the number one player in the world and the number one talking point in sports. Dozens of cameras were set up on each side of 10th Street, and seemingly every reporter with credentials crowded between the ropes. This was the kind of gallery that only Tiger Woods had seen in his prime.
Then the 6-foot-3 Scheffler pushed his way through the tarp fences and appeared under a large umbrella in a short white zipper and blue pants. Before the starter could announce Scheffler’s name, the Louisville crowd unleashed a roar that most spectators agreed was exponentially louder than any walk-on first tee they had ever heard.
“Scottish! Scottish! Scottish!” they chanted.
One fan shouted, “Free Scottie!” Another said: “You look great in orange!” One said: “One of us!” In recent weeks, articles have been written about Scheffler’s lack of charisma to match his first-place finish in golf. On Friday morning, the entire property seemed behind Scheffler in a way no gallery had been before, a surreal scene of Scheffler’s acclaim so quickly after his arrest.
Scheffler enters the Valhalla clubhouse after being released from jail in Louisville. (Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Images)
As he hit his first tee shot and walked down the first fairway, Scheffler walked alongside playing partners Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman. He animatedly told them a story, clearly recounting what happened on Friday morning. Harman looked back at him with a surprised expression. When Scheffler hit his first approach shot within feet of the hole for an easy birdie, he heard “The whole world is on your side,” before another “Scottie!” The chant broke out on their way to number 11.
Scheffler’s 5.5 hour round continued like this, a mix of extreme support and youthful humor that quickly forgets the death of a man leading to this moment. As I teed off on the 15th hole, a fan said, “What is this, a work release program?” Another told the security detail of police officers: “What? Are you going to let him go like this? The officers laughed.
But the chants of “Free Scottie” were constant. On the 16th hole, a fan named Bob Parks proudly unzipped his jacket and spread it with his arms to make sure Scheffler and company saw his white T-shirt with “FREE SCOTTIE” written in black marker. Scheffler, head down and focused all day, didn’t notice. A few meters away, another group of three displayed similar t-shirts. They said they grabbed markers to doodle on their clothes as soon as they saw the news around 7:30 a.m. Other fans printed T-shirts with Scheffler’s mugshot. Another man dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit said he stopped at a Party City along the way.
Scheffler said after his round that his body shook for an hour as he sat in a cell trying to slow his heart rate. He had no idea if he would be able to play, so he performed as much of his stretching routine as possible in a cell, knowing it would be a difficult change if he returned to the field. “That was a first for me,” he joked. He said the officer who took him to the station was friendly and they had a good conversation, so while he was waiting to get in, he asked him, “Hey, excuse me, can you come hang out with me for a few minutes so I can calm down?” Scheffler said. who was never angry, just shocked. At one point he looked up from his cell and saw himself being arrested on Keynote USA.
An older officer looked at Scheffler and asked, “So, do you want to get the full experience today?”
Scheffler looked at the officer confused and said he didn’t know how to answer that.
“Come on, man, do you want a sandwich?” the officer responded. Scheffler, who had not eaten, ate a sandwich.
Some fans even went so far as to quickly print t-shirts in support of Scottie Scheffler. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Finally, an officer called his cell phone and said, “Let’s go.” Scheffler looked at the television, saw the time and realized that he could make it if the traffic wasn’t bad. He got in the car and his manager, Blake Smith, asked him if he still wanted to play. Scheffler said of course. He came out and immediately heard the immense support and said he tried to stay focused but that support meant a lot to him.
Despite all the chaos surrounding the wild day, Scheffler shot a 66 to enter the clubhouse just two behind the leaders. It was a better round than the one he played on Thursday.
And as Scheffler completed the back nine, they asked his security team if they had been interrupted all day.
“Oh, yes,” the officer said. “I’d be bothering us too.”
A group of players in the Valhalla locker room gathered and wondered what to do. Will Zalatoris said conversations were had about going to the PGA of America and stopping the second round. A man had just died. And the main contender, the number one player in the world, had been arrested.
“It was just strange,” Zalatoris said.
Even before Friday’s tragedy, Zalatoris thought the tournament was such a logistical disaster that he told his parents not to come. “I’m not happy that I proved him right,” he said. He said it took him almost an hour to get to the field each day despite being only half a mile away, and Friday was so bad that he left his wife in the car and he, Cameron Young and Austin Eckroat walked down the road to get to the field. course. When they got there, tournament workers didn’t know who they were or if they should be allowed entry.
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, like Zalatoris and so many others, wanted to pause the conversation and remind everyone of the worst that happened on Friday.
“It’s unfortunate for the person who passed away today,” Morikawa said. “I don’t think it’s talked about enough, or at all.”
And as Scheffler approached his packed news conference Friday afternoon, he took a deep breath and started talking about John Mills. He downplayed the interaction that led to his arrest and said he couldn’t comment on it but that he would handle it. Instead, he reflected on the Mills family.
“I can’t imagine what they’re going through this morning,” Scheffler said. “One day he heads to the golf course to watch a tournament. A few moments later he tries to cross the street and is no longer with us. I can’t imagine what they are going through. My heart, I feel for them. I’m sorry.”
There are now two days left in the PGA Championship and Scheffler remains in contention for a second consecutive major victory. His legal problems will be waiting for him once the tournament is over. His arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to online court records.
Scheffler tried to get back into his routine Friday afternoon, practicing a little and planning to hit the gym afterward. His focus will be on calming down from his strange Friday morning and trying to get back to normal for the rest of the weekend. No more stretching in a jail cell.
(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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