Scottie Scheffler said he was “very stunned” when he was handcuffed and detained as he tried to enter Valhalla Golf Club Friday morning before the second round of the PGA Championship.
Footage of the ordeal, shot by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, shows Scheffler, who is returning to the track this week following the birth of his first child, walking next to two police officers while handcuffed, before Darlington begins the ordeal. He could be seen looking back as he was filming the situation. I said, “Can you help me?”
As Darlington retreated, an officer in a yellow jacket told an ESPN reporter, “He’s going to jail now.”
Schaeffler, 27, was initially trying to avoid traffic jams caused by a fatal accident near the course.
The officer began pounding on the side of Scheffler’s car to stop him as he tried to pull onto the track.
Darlington appeared on “SportsCenter” Friday morning and reported: [Scheffler] After failing to stop, the officer grabbed onto the car and Scheffler drove another 10 yards before stopping the car. ”
“The officer then grabbed Mr. Scheffler by the arm and tried to pull him out of the car, but at that point, when Mr. Scheffler finally opened the door, the officer pulled him out of the car and pushed him against the vehicle. They immediately shoved him into the car and handcuffed him,” Darlington said.
“Scheffler was then walked to a patrol car and handcuffed behind his back. I was very surprised by what happened. He looked at me, who was handcuffed, and said, ‘Please help me.’ . He had no idea what was going on in the situation. The situation moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively. ”
Scheffler was detained around 5:45 a.m., but was originally scheduled to tee off around 8:48 a.m.
The game was delayed for more than an hour due to an accident and traffic congestion.
Scheffler was arrested just before 7:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections.
He is charged with assault on a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving and failure to signal at an office directing traffic.
Scheffler returned to Valhalla at 9:13 a.m., and a new tee time was scheduled for after 10 a.m.
He shot a 4-under 67 on Thursday.
