NATIONAL NEWS

No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler: From the course to jail and back after Friday arrest

May 17, 2024, 11:08 AM

Image: Scottie Scheffler celebrates after a birdie on the 10th hole during the second round of the ...

Scottie Scheffler celebrates after a birdie on the 10th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, May 17, 2024. (Photo: Jeff Roberson, AP)

(Photo: Jeff Roberson, AP)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested after police say he dragged an officer while trying to get around the scene of a fatal accident Friday ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship.

The 27-year-old Scheffler, the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, was attempting to get to Valhalla Golf Club outside Louisville, Kentucky, around 6 a.m. when police say he illegally bypassed the scene of an accident where a pedestrian was killed.

Scheffler was charged with multiple counts, including second-degree assault of a police officer and reckless driving. He was booked and had his mugshot taken before being released. Scheffler has called the chain of events a “big misunderstanding.”

He returned to Valhalla in time for his 10:08 a.m. tee time. Scheffler received a loud ovation from fans when he was introduced, then birdied his first hole of the day, the par-5 10th.

Who is Scottie Scheffler?

Scheffler arrived at Valhalla this week as a heavy favorite following a run of dominance in the sport not seen since Tiger Woods’ prime. He entered play Thursday having won four of the last five tournaments he entered, including the Masters — one of golf’s four major events — last month at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia.

The soft-spoken Texan is an unlikely star. He fell in love with the game as a child, sometimes hitting balls in the dark in northern New Jersey while his father Scott held a flashlight.

The Schefflers moved to Dallas during Scottie’s childhood, with Scott Scheffler serving as a “stay-at-home dad” while Scheffler’s mother Diane served as the CEO at a law firm.

Scheffler played multiple sports growing up before ultimately settling on golf. He’s hardly the only player in the family. His sister Callie played collegiately at Texas A&M.

He and his wife Meredith were high-school sweethearts and the Schefflers paint a portrait of a very unassuming life despite Scottie’s jet-fueled rise to fame that began in 2022 when he claimed his first Masters. The process has only sped up over the last few months as Scheffler turned his gap over world No. 2 Rory McIlroy into more of a canyon.

Scheffler is an admitted homebody who prefers playing board games and relaxing by watching Instagram videos rather than indulging in the trappings of his success. He’s won over $61 million already in his career, including $18 million this season alone.

The Schefflers welcomed their first child, son Bennett, on May 8, leading Scheffler to reflect recently on how his life has played out.

“I married my high school sweetheart and I always wanted to play professional golf, and now I’m here,” he said. “I was sitting there with a newborn in my arms and the green jacket in the closet. It was a pretty special time.”

Image: Golfer Scottie Scheffler is seen in a mug shot provided by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections Friday, May 17, 2024.

Golfer Scottie Scheffler is seen in a mug shot provided by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections Friday, May 17, 2024. (Photo: Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections via AP)

What happened to Scheffler at the PGA Championship?

Scheffler was attempting to get to Valhalla for an early stretch/workout ahead of his second-round tee time, initially scheduled for 8:48 a.m.

A vendor working at the course was struck and killed by a bus just after 5 a.m. while trying to cross a four-lane road. Traffic was backed up in both directions heading into the course while police conducted an investigation.

Scheffler was driving past the scene at around 6 a.m. when a police officer told him to stop. Police say the officer attached himself to the vehicle Scheffler was operating. Scheffler stopped, and the officer ordered Scheffler out of the car before putting him in handcuffs.

Louisville police say the officer was sent to the hospital after being dragged “to the ground” and suffering “pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist” after Scheffler’s vehicle “accelerated forward.”

Scheffler was booked at 7:28 a.m. — about 2 1/2 hours before his updated tee time after the second round was delayed because of the fatality. He donned an orange jumpsuit and had his mugshot taken before being released. Scheffler said in a statement he never intended to break any traffic laws, expressed sympathy for the “tragic accident” and detailed the sequence of events that led to his arrest as a “big misunderstanding.”

The world’s top-ranked golfer then returned to Valhalla just after 9 a.m., emerging from the clubhouse about 20 minutes later to begin preparations for his round. Wearing a white hat and quarter-zip jacket, he received an ovation as he made his way to the driving range, with one fan yelling “Free Scottie.”

There was a sense of normalcy as Scheffler went through his routine. Fellow PGA Tour player Brendon Todd greeted Scheffler by saying “good to see you.” Todd then showed Scheffler something on Todd’s phone, drawing a small chuckle from both.

Scheffler joined playing partners Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman at the 10th tee, with the gallery erupting when Scheffler was introduced. Scheffler’s initial tee shot found the right rough, though he eventually stuffed his approach shot on the par-5 to 3 feet and tapped in for birdie.

By the time Scheffler was at the midpoint of his round, fans were already wearing white “Free Scottie” T-shirts as they stood behind the ropes a few yards away.

National News

Bob Schmidt, right, a Republican voter, talks to state Rep. Jesse Borjon, left, R-Topeka, outside t...

Associated Press

Legislative majorities giving one party all the power are in play in several states

SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — After introducing herself at their front doors, Vanessa Vaughn West began her pitch to voters with a question: What issues are important to you? She heard frustration about rising local property taxes, a desire for smaller government and questions about affordable housing. West is a Democrat making her second run for […]

3 hours ago

Henry Kovacs, left, and Hayden Wilson, right, volunteers with the Footprint Project, load two Tesla...

Associated Press

Volunteers bring solar power to Hurricane Helene’s disaster zone

BAKERSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene downed power lines and washed out roads all over North Carolina’s mountains, the constant din of a gas-powered generator is getting to be too much for Bobby Renfro. It’s difficult to hear the nurses, neighbors and volunteers flowing through the community resource hub he has […]

3 hours ago

Associated Press

Determination to rebuild follows Florida’s hurricanes with acceptance that storms will come again

VENICE, Fla. (AP) — No sooner had residents of the Bahia Vista Gulf condominium complex dug out and from Hurricane Helene than they were faced with the same daunting cleanup from new damage inflicted by Hurricane Milton. The beachfront units had been gutted, treated and dried out after Hurricane Helene and mounds of sand that […]

3 hours ago

Elias Trujillo, left, speaks as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, from...

Associated Press

Trump hears at a Latino campaign event from someone who lived in the US illegally

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Minutes after Donald Trump delivered his standard warnings about drug dealers and criminals illegally crossing the border during a Saturday campaign event, the former president heard from someone who was once in the country illegally but now plans to vote for him. Elias Trujillo was one of several people who spoke […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

Macao’s former top judge is elected as the Chinese casino hub’s first leader born in mainland China

MACAO (AP) — Macao’s former top judge, Sam Hou Fai, was chosen as the Chinese casino hub’ s next leader in a largely ceremonial election on Sunday, setting him up to become the city’s first chief executive born in mainland China. Almost the entire election committee stacked with Beijing loyalists — 394 of 398 — […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

Historic ocean liner could soon become the world’s largest artificial reef

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The conservancy that oversees a storied but aging ocean liner and its landlord have resolved a years-old rent dispute that will clear the way for a Florida county to turn the historic ship into the world’s largest artificial reef. A federal judge had ruled in June that the SS United States Conservancy […]

10 hours ago

No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler: From the course to jail and back after Friday arrest