“Big Misunderstanding:” Scottie Scheffler contending despite PGA Championship debacle

Scotty Scheffler’s head was spinning and he couldn’t stop shaking after his early morning arrest at the PGA Championship.

And who can blame him? Scheffler arrived at Valhalla before an early morning tee time, wanting nothing more than to warm up, relax, and prepare for the next major championship round.

However, officers were diverting traffic in front of the club’s entrance due to a tragic accident that claimed the life of PGA security guard John Mills.

About an hour later, Scheffler, who was driving the pickup truck, tried to avoid traffic, not realizing what had happened. He was then caught by the police. Between the early morning darkness and the pouring rain, chaos spread everywhere.

“My situation will be resolved. It was a confusing situation and a big misunderstanding,” Scheffler said.

“But my heart goes out to Mr. Mills’ family. I can’t imagine what they’re going through this morning. One day he’s heading to the golf course to watch a tournament. A few minutes later he was walking across the street and now he’s no longer with us. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. My heart goes out to them. sorry.”

Scheffler mentioned the unfortunate tragedy multiple times in his post-round press conference, saying his heart aches for his family.

He also explains how everything happened from his perspective, including surreal anecdotes like stretching in a prison cell and watching himself get arrested on TV. did.

But in the back of my mind I knew I still had a chance to play.

“I tried to get my heart rate down as much as possible today, but I still feel like my head is spinning a little bit,” Scheffler said.

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

“But I was lucky to be able to come back safely and play golf today.”

Scheffler arrived at Valhalla 57 minutes before tee time at 10:08 a.m. ET, giving him little time to warm up. However, this did not affect the world number one too much as he came out and shot a 5-under 66.

He currently sits tied for third place in the championship at 9 under par and went from prison to competing in a major tournament less than eight hours later. Something like this has certainly never happened before and will never happen again.

Scheffler started the day with a birdie on No. 10 and bogey on No. 11, then made a long birdie on No. 12 to move up to 5 under par for the tournament. That roller coaster start served as a metaphor for the beginning of Scheffler’s day, but roller coaster doesn’t adequately describe the scene that unfolded early Friday morning in Valhalla.

Four more birdies followed. Near the hole out of the 2nd par 4one of the most difficult holes on the course.

But Scheffler, who has won four of his past five starts, received incredible support as soon as the round began. That helped him regain some mental order, and he went on to play brilliantly in Valhalla.

“It was definitely a challenge to come here and play today, but I did my best to control my mind and control my breathing,” Scheffler added.

“Basically, I’m going to calm down and just come out here and play some golf. I knew there were going to be a lot of distractions, but I had no idea what the reception was going to be like. I had no idea. Honestly, it was great to have the fans behind me. They were really loud cheering me on. They let me play today. I felt like they were really happy and it was a great day to come out here and play.”

A man of faith and family, Mr. Scheffler has great respect for all the people he encounters, and has the utmost respect for law enforcement and the things they do to keep everyone safe. I’m grateful for the job I have. He also revealed that he did not explain his identity to any police officer. It’s not like he’s the reigning Masters champion or the best golfer in the world or anything.

Still, Scheffler was able to hit one of his “career bests” in the second round of the PGA Championship.

“Certainly, I never imagined going to jail the morning before tea time,” Scheffler added.

“But like I said, I was grateful to be able to go out there and play, and it was certainly a great round of golf. [Mills] and his family. ”

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.