Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Police arrested World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler ahead of the PGA Championship's second round at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday.
According to Wave News, the Louisville Metro Police Department booked Scheffler on four charges: second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
Jeff Darlington @JeffDarlingtonHere is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: <a href="https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf">https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf</a> <a href="https://t.co/9Tbp2tyrJh">pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh</a>
Scheffler was subsequently released from police custody and transported back to Valhalla Golf Club ahead of his 10:08 a.m. second-round tee time.
ESPN's Jeff Darlington, who was an eyewitness to the incident, reported that Scheffler was "detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club."
Darlington added that "the police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler's car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance" to the golf club. According to Darlington, a police officer "began to scream" at the golfer "to get out of the car," at which point he was handcuffed and put in the back of a police car.
According to a copy of the police report obtained by ESPN, detective Bryan Gillis said he suffered "pain, swelling and abrasions" after trying to stop Scheffler from entering the golf club on Friday morning.
"The subject refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground," the police report added.
Gillis, whose uniform pants "were damaged beyond repair," according to the report, was transported to the hospital for evaluation.
"This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers," Scheffler told Darlington in a statement. "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.
"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."
In a statement, Scheffler's Louisville attorney Steve Romines said: "Multiple eyewitnesses have confirmed that he did not do anything wrong but was simply proceeding as directed. He stopped immediately upon being directed to and never at any point assaulted any officer with his vehicle. We will litigate this matter as needed and he will be completely exonerated."
Police were on scene after a fatal accident, which did not involve Scheffler, occurred on Shelbyville Road outside an entrance to the club around 5 a.m. ET. The incident with Scheffler occurred around an hour and a half later.
A Louisville Metro Police Department spokesperson confirmed to ESPN's Mark Schlabach that a shuttle bus struck and killed a man outside of Valhalla Golf Club.
"This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club," the PGA of America said in a statement. "This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones.
"Our primary concern today remains with the family of John Mills, who lost his life in a tragic accident early this morning while reporting to work," the PGA added.
The start of the PGA Championship's second round was delayed an hour and 20 minutes until 8:35 a.m. ET.
Scheffler was initially scheduled to tee off alongside Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman at 8:48 a.m. ET on Friday. His tee time was pushed to 10:08 a.m. ET after the delay.
He started Thursday with a hole-out for eagle on the par-four first en route to shooting four under for the round, good enough for a T-12 after one day. Xander Schauffele leads the field at nine under.
Scheffler won four of his last five tournaments coming into the PGA Championship. The reigning Masters winner has also finished in the top 10 in nine of his 10 tournaments this year.
