Scottie Scheffler was arrested ahead of his second round at the PGA Championship; Scheffler ended the week tied-eighth as Xander Schauffele claimed maiden major title at Valhalla; World No 1's arraignment has been pushed back to Monday June 3
Wednesday 22 May 2024 06:36, UK
Louisville police will investigate if procedures were followed in the arrest of world No 1 Scottie Scheffler at the PGA Championship.
Scheffler was arrested by Louisville Metro Police on Friday morning after trying to drive into Valhalla Golf Club in heavy traffic caused by an earlier - unrelated - accident, events he described as "a big misunderstanding" following "a very chaotic situation".
The 27-year-old was taken away by police in handcuffs before being released in time to return for the second round, with Scheffler facing charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg said Louisville Metro Police Department is reviewing Scheffler's arrest.
"I think that's critically important that we do that, not just in high-profile events like took place on Friday, but on a regular basis," Greenberg said.
"And if policies are not being followed, there will be transparency about that. There will be action taken."
Police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel told the Louisville Courier-Journal she expected the department would provide an update on Thursday.
"The internal investigation is still ongoing," she said in a Tuesday statement, per the newspaper. "Any policy violations that are revealed through the course of the investigation will be appropriately addressed according to LMPD's disciplinary protocol."
Scheffler's arraignment date has been pushed back to Monday June 3 following his arrest during the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. He was originally supposed to be arraigned on Tuesday May 21 at 9am ET (2pm BST) but the date was changed on Monday.
In a statement on Monday, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said: "Today, over the objection of Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell, the District Judge presiding in the case of Mr Scheffler granted the defendant's attorney's motion to continue Mr Scheffler's arraignment from May 21 to June 3 at 9am.
"Our office continues to gather information in the case."
His lawyer said over the weekend they would be prepared to go trial if the charge of assaulting a police officer was not dropped, insisting Scheffler "didn't do anything wrong". All charges still appear on the docket for the new date.
Scheffler went into the week as pre-tournament favourite after following victory at The Masters by winning the RBC Heritage last month, his fourth PGA Tour win in five starts, with the American returning to action after skipping the Wells Fargo Championship for the birth of his first child.
He followed a four-under 67 on the opening day with a second-round 66 on Friday, despite being arrested earlier in the day and only arriving back at the course less than an hour before his delayed tee time.
Play was delayed for 80 minutes on Friday after a fatal accident saw a pedestrian - later named as on-site vendor John Mills - struck by a shuttle bus shortly after 5am local time, while Scheffler was detained around an hour later as he attempted to drive around the scene.
Scheffler was taken away to Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections and a mugshot of him quickly appeared on social media in an orange jumpsuit, with the American booked in at 7.28am before being released at 8.40am.
He was released on his own recognizance and driven to the course for his second round, originally due to begin at 8.48am but pushed back until 10.08am because of delays, with Scheffler arriving at 9.12am and having a limited practice session ahead of his tee time.
Scheffler's troubles switched from off course to on it on Saturday, where he was without regular caddie Ted Scott due to him attending his daughter's graduation, as he dropped four shots in a three-hole stretch during a two-over 73 - his first over-par round of the year.
The 10-time PGA Tour winner bounced back on Sunday to card a six-under 65 and end the week tied-eighth, eight strokes behind Xander Schauffele, with Scheffler proud of his finish after a 'hectic' few days.
"On the course I have always been proud of my toughness out there," Scheffler told CBS. "I try to keep the off course as quiet as possible and this week was obviously not that way, but I'm proud of the way we competed and posted a decent finish running on fumes."
Scheffler - as of Monday morning - was planning fulfil his commitment to feature on the PGA Tour at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas, live on Thursday from Sky Sports Golf.
Watch Scheffler in action throughout 2024 on the PGA Tour live on Sky Sports. Early coverage of the Charles Schwab Challenge begins on Thursday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
