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Planet Golf News Breaking News Alert for Friday, May 17, 2024

Planet Golf News Breaking News Alert for Friday, May 17, 2024

Scottie Scheffler arrested and released by Louisville police following Friday incident at ValhallaIn

PGN News Team
May 17, 2024 • Reading Time: 4 minutes

Friday, May 17, 2024

BREAKING NEWS

[ BREAKING NEWS ALERT ]

Scottie Scheffler arrested and released by Louisville police following Friday incident at ValhallaIn

In a surprising turn of events at the 2024 PGA Championship, World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler found himself in the midst of an unexpected legal drama. Early Friday morning, Scheffler was arrested by Louisville Metro Police at Valhalla Golf Club, charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, the incident occurred when Scheffler attempted to drive past a police officer to enter the golf course and prepare for his second round. Due to an earlier unrelated accident involving a shuttle bus that tragically resulted in a pedestrian's death, entry to the course had been temporarily halted. The officer, trying to prevent Scheffler from proceeding, allegedly tried to attach himself to the golfer's car, which was a marked player-courtesy vehicle. As Scheffler continued driving, the officer was reportedly "dragged," suffering minor injuries.

Upon exiting his vehicle, Scheffler was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police cruiser. Scheffler allegedly pleaded for help from a nearby ESPN crew, but Darlington reported that the officer insisted there was nothing that could be done, stating, “There’s nothing you can do, he’s going to jail.” It was also noted that the police officers involved did not recognize Scheffler as the top-ranked golfer in the world.

The PGA of America has not yet responded to requests for comment from Golf Digest. Scheffler, who recently won four of his last five tournaments, including his second Masters title and a successful defense of the Players Championship, had shot an impressive first-round four-under 67 at Valhalla on Thursday. He was scheduled to tee off at 8:48 a.m. Friday, but the shuttle-bus accident caused a delay, with all tee times pushed back by 1 hour and 20 minutes.

This incident has certainly added an unexpected twist to the 2024 PGA Championship, overshadowing what was shaping up to be another standout performance by Scheffler.

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