According to multiple reports, there was a fatal accident early in the morning on the road leading to the club involving a shuttle bus and a pedestrian. Some time later, Scheffler arrived outside Valhalla ahead of his scheduled 8:48 a.m. tee time.
As Scheffler attempted to navigate around traffic, an officer attempted to stop his car, but Scheffler continued to drive a short distance.
Darling wrote on X that “the police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs.”
“Right now, he’s going to jail,” an officer says in the video. “He’s going to jail, and there ain’t nothin’ you can do about it.”
According to police records, Scheffler was booked by Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections at 7:28 a.m. The charges listed include second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
Scheffler was released on his own recognizance at 8:40 a.m. and received a police escort back to the course, arriving around 9:12 a.m. The PGA of America has yet to release a statement regarding the incident.
Scheffler, who is currently the World No. 1, shot a four-under 67 during Round 1 to sit T12 after 18 holes. He enters the PGA Championship having won four out of his last five tournament, including the Masters.
Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.