World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler gave his first interview after he was detained by police outside Valhalla Golf Club, with reports detailing a surreal incident at the PGA Championship.
The Masters champion was arrested as he made his way to the course for the second round of the PGA Championship, the second Major of the year.
He would ultimately play in the second round of the competition, carding a round of 65 to stay in contention in winning the title despite spending time in a jail cell earlier in the day.
The first word of the incident came from ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who tweeted just after 11:30am on Friday that Scheffler had been detained in handcuffs.
Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
Darlington claimed that a "misunderstanding with traffic flow" had seen Scheffler attempt to drive past a police stop outside the course. A police officer then stopped Scheffler and asked him to step out of his car, before pushing him against the vehicle and placing him in handcuffs.
Surreal video footage showed the two-time Major winner being escorted by police outside the course.
Appearing on ESPN to discuss the incident, Darlington said that the situation had developed "very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively," and that Scheffler had allegedly asked Darlington to help him.
Darlington then went on to claim that a police officer had said to Scheffler, "There's nothing you can do, he's going to jail."
Scottie Scheffler's mugshot from Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections. pic.twitter.com/bcJn54Nu5x
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) May 17, 2024
A police stop had reportedly already been set-up after a spectator sadly lost their life outside the venue when crossing traffic. That incident has no direct relation to what happened with Scheffler later in the day.
The spectator, named John Mills, passed away after being struck by a shuttle bus outside the course, according to the Daily Mail.
Scheffler would be released later in the day and competed in round two - remarkably retaining his fine form - before speaking to reporters in his post-round press conference.
Scottie Scheffler praised for interview after bizarre arrest during PGA Championship
Scheffler is a well-liked character having always cut a classy figure in his media duties and Friday was no exception.
The Texan began the press conference by extending his sympathies to the family of Mr. Mills who lost his life after working at the event.
"Yeah, first of all, my sympathies go out to the family of Mr. Mills," Scheffler said.
"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 moments later he’s trying to cross the street, and now he’s no longer with us. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. My heart -- I feel for them. I’m sorry."
Scheffler admitted his head was 'still spinning' after what had happened that morning, but did take his time in offering clarity on what had happened.
"I was pretty rattled to say the least,' he added.
"The officer that took me to the jail was very kind. He was great. We had a nice chat in the car, that kind of helped calm me down.
"I was sitting there waiting to kind of go in and I asked him, I was like, Hey, excuse me, can you just come hang out with me for a few minutes so I can calm down. I was never angry. I was just in shock, and I think my body was just -- I was shaking the whole time. I was shaking for like an hour. It was definitely a new feeling for me."
Asked if he resorted to name-dropping in order to help his situation, Scheffler claimed that he opted not to .
"My heart goes out to the family. But no, at no point did I try to name drop myself to defuse the situation. I just tried to remain as calm as possible and just follow instructions."
"I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell, that was a first for me."
- Scottie Scheffler
pic.twitter.com/FRLWuoWrbi— Hard Rock Bet (@HardRockBet) May 17, 2024
His composure in recounting what was undoubtedly a difficult day has been widely commended by fans and players alike.
Scottie showed as much poise there as he did on the course.. That was something
— Bob Harig (@BobHarig) May 17, 2024
Full credit to Scottie Scheffler. Most players — heck, most people — would decline the spotlight of cameras and microphones and certainly wouldn’t answer questions. He faced the media circus and never flinched. First class.
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelGolf) May 17, 2024
Scottie pic.twitter.com/KxKoHbnLLi
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) May 17, 2024
He’s handled that press conference beautifully. Expressed sympathy for the family of John Mills, was open and honest describing the rollercoaster of emotions he went through, and even injected the occasional bit of humour.
— Jamie Weir (@jamiecweir) May 17, 2024
Scheffler has handled this really well.
Started with kind words about the man who was killed in the 5am accident. He didn’t know about this when arriving an hour later.
Admitted he was shocked and shaking at what transpired. Saw himself on TV while sitting in a holding cell.— Ewan Murray (@mrewanmurray) May 17, 2024
The 27-year-old has won plenty of more admirers for how he has handled the situation, that is for sure.
It would not be a surprise to see him go on and win the event given his stunning performance on the course in trying circumstances.
