Scottie Scheffler gets a hero’s welcome and a BIRDIE as he just makes PGA Championship tee-time after shock arrest
SCOTTIE Scheffler has teed off at the PGA Championship just hours after being sensationally detained by Kentucky police.
The 27-year-old was arrested outside Valhalla Golf Club prior to round two of the golf major in Louisville, KY.
Scheffler arrived back at the iconic course at 9:13 am ET ahead of his delayed tee-off time, per the New York Post.
The two-time Masters champion looked unruffled as he take the front entrance back into the clubhouse.
Moments later he emerged onto the practice course, hitting iron shots in the rain with his fellow competitors.
Scheffler teed off alongside fellow US stars Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman at 10.08 am ET.
He was serenaded by shouts of “Scottie! Scottie!” from the watching crowd.
The ice-cool world No. 1 started off his round in style, carding a birdie on the first.
Scheffler was sensationally booked into the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections following an incident outside the iconic golf course this morning.
He allegedly failed to follow police orders during a pedestrian fatality probe.
Police in Louisville say a man was hit and killed by a shuttle bus outside the course this morning, via WDRB-TV.
It led to cops closing the road outside the course, with the second round of the golf major delayed.
Scheffler was involved in a “misunderstanding with traffic flow [that] led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club,” ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported on X.
The golf ace was put in handcuffs as incredible footage saw him bundled away from the scene by law enforcement.
He has since been charged with “second-degree assault, criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officer directing traffic,” per a police report attached to his orange jumpsuit mugshot.
Scheffler was originally due to tee off at 8.48 am ET.
Xander Schauffele led the field after Day 1 in Valhalla after a record-equalling -9 round of 62.
Scheffler teed off five shots off the lead on -5.
Image of golf’s most clean-cut star in handcuffs will shock fans worldwide
THE images of Scottie Scheffler being hauled off to jail in handcuffs will shock the golfing world, because no-one has a more clean-cut image than the world No 1, writes David Facey.
Scheffler’s detainment for allegedly speeding past a police car on his way to tee off in round two of the USPGA Championship goes against everything the god-fearing family man stands for.
The fact that it has happened barely a week after his wife, Meredith, gave birth to their first child, Bennett, makes it even more shocking.
Scheffler and Ryder Cup team-mate Sam Burns organise a bible group attended by other PGA Tour players and caddies, and there has never been a whiff of scandal associated with the 27 year old.
Before returning to action at the USPGA – following a three week break to enjoy becoming a dad for the first time – Scheffler spoke about how blissfully happy his life was now.
He said: “At home it was a nice time to reflect a little bit on my career so far and where my life has gone.
“I married my high school sweetheart and I always wanted to play professional golf, and of course I’ve done that, and won two Masters and become world No 1.
“When I was at home I was sitting there with a newborn in my arms and the green jacket in the closet. It was a pretty special time I think.”
But it looks like one moment of madness may have turned Scheffler’s world upside down.
The two-time Masters champion has 10 wins on the PGA Tour and finished 2nd in the USPGA last year.
ESPN reporter Darlington was on hand to witness the incredible events unfold around 5.45 am ET on Friday morning.
“Scheffler was then walked over to the police car, placed in the back in handcuffs,” he told ESPN’s SportsCenter.
“[He looked] very stunned about what was happening.
“[He] looked toward me as he was in those handcuffs and said, ‘Please help me.’
“He very clearly did not know what was happening in the situation – it moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively.
“He was detained in that police vehicle for approximately 20 minutes.
“The police officers at that point did not understand that Scottie Scheffler was a golfer in the tournament nor, of course, that he is the No. 1 player in the world.”
Prior to hitting the course, Scheffler broke his silence with a statement on X, via the PGA Tour.
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers.
“It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had ocurred 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 incident this morning.
“It truly puts everything in perspective.”