A fiasco at the entrance to the PGA Championship caused chaos at Valhalla Golf Club on Friday.
Unfortunately, someone was hit and killed by the shuttle bus, and then in a separate incident, police arrested Scotty Scheffler and put him in jail on four different charges.
Thankfully, the world number one was back for morning tea, but the situation remained dire for everyone involved. The two-time Masters winner then returned to the golf course and shot a 5-under 66 despite the crazy drama surrounding him.
Scheffler even called the situation a misunderstanding and thanked the officers for doing their jobs after the patrol. Because that’s who he is.
However, 155 other players were required to enter the premises. Sure, the PGA of America has delayed tee times, but that doesn’t make the game any easier. Half the field still had to deal with traffic and other delays.
Among them were Harris English, Will Zalatoris, Austin Eckrot, and Minu Lee, all of whom detailed what happened the morning after the second round. Some of their words made Scheffler’s arrest even more surprising.
Zalatoris explained to The Athletic reporter Gabby Herzig about himself, Cam Young and Eckrot. walked the final distance Be on time.
I spoke with Will Zalatoris and he said he walked two miles this morning with Cam Young and Austin Eckrot to get to the course. It took him more than two hours to reach the gate.
He has been highly critical of this week’s admission preparations, even telling his parents on Monday that he wants them to stop.
— Gabby Herzig (@GabbyHerzig) May 17, 2024
Eckrot spoke about his position after the round.
“I was on my way here when I got the email about the delay. I got there two miles away and it took about 30 minutes,” Eckrot said.
“I ended up getting out of the car, walking a mile and a half and having my wife drive me. It was a strange morning. Something I had never experienced before. It was a tragedy followed by a strange incident. It was funny. But, fortunately, it didn’t affect my play too much.”
Harris English had to completely change his route.
“I had no idea what was going on. No one could pass from the side I was arriving on, so I turned around and continued north of the course, spending another 20 minutes or so trying to get into the club. I had to,” English said.
“It’s dark, raining and there are police lights everywhere. It was strange getting onto the track this morning. Not the usual quiet arrival.”
When asked about the incident surrounding Scheffler, English offered several perspectives.
“It could have been any of us,” English added.
“We all follow the same path to joining the club. It’s such a shame. You never want to hear about someone coming to the course and losing their life. It’s just terrible.”
Mr. Lee provided further information. He noted that both situations this morning had an impact before and during the round.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25453491/2153402765.jpg)
Before teeing off, Lee tweeted“Release Scotty.”
Like many players, including Scheffler, Lee used the well-mannered Lexus that many players used to get to the course each day.
“I thought it was a bit of an overreaction,” Lee said.
“I was following the car to avoid the traffic.The car was a Lexus car that was one of the courtesy cars.A lot of people were doing it.He was also in a loaner car, so I don’t know what caused it. I don’t know. It just didn’t have any real meaning.”
Considering all these circumstances, Mr. Scheffler’s arrest looks increasingly like a huge misunderstanding. But we won’t know officially until the legal process progresses.
Still, one thing is certain from Friday’s results: this championship has proven to be a logistical nightmare for everyone involved.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
