Tag: Scottie Scheffler mugshot

Scottie Scheffler planning to play next week on PGA Tour after ‘hectic’ week at 2024 PGA Championship

Scheffler in unsure if he must attend arraignment scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET in Louisville.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Those who followed Scottie Scheffler on Sunday at the 2024 PGA Championship were served an excellent round of club with a side of open mic night at the Louisville Comedy Club off Main Street.

Yells of “Free Scottie!” and variations of “Look out! There are two police officers right there” or “He’s the man in blue, get him, officer!” were heard on every hole out at Valhalla Golf Club in the final round of the second men’s major of the year. The officers who have walked with Scheffler inside the ropes the last few days have been able to brush off the amateur jokers, while Scheffler claims he hardly heard any.

“I think when you’re out there inside the ropes, I don’t really hear too much of it. It’s nice to hear your name. I heard a lot of “Scottie” chants. I didn’t hear too many of the “free Scottie” chants, but I definitely heard a lot of “Scottie” chants,” said Scheffler, who must be able to block out the word free. “Like I said, it’s great to have the support of the fans. Being able to play out here in front of them week in, week out is one of the greatest joys of my life for sure. So being able to do that this week and play another major championship, it was fun. Obviously the results weren’t what I was hoping for at the beginning of the week, but overall I’m proud of how I fought this week.”

After a 2-over 73 on Saturday, his first over-par performance in 42 rounds so far this year, Scheffler bounced back with his best showing of the week, a superb 6-under 65 that featured just one bogey on the first hole. Scheffler walked off the course at 13 under for the tournament, T-8 on the leaderboard.

“It was obviously not what I was hoping for going into the week, but overall I’m proud of how I fought this week, and excited to get home and get ready for next week,” he said. But how soon will he be able to get back to Texas? Following his wild arrest on Friday morning before his second-round tee time that led to four charges, including a felony, Scheffler has an arraignment set for Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET. He’s also scheduled to play next week’s 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club near his home in Dallas.

“I think it’s all up in the air. I’m not really sure what the next days have in store,” Scheffler said of his sticky situation. “I think I’m able to get home tonight, but we’ll see when I leave here. I haven’t really had much chance to assess the situation off the course. I signed my card and then came straight over here. So we’ll see, but hopefully we’ll be able to get home tonight.”

For a 27-year-old with a clean history and laid back, private life, Scheffler has handled this week as well as could be expected. Four hours after his Friday arrest he shot a 5-under 66 and birdied two of his first three holes fresh out of a cell. His Saturday 73 could have easily been chalked up to the gravity of his situation finally setting in after the adrenaline wore off, or the fact he was without his caddie and good friend Ted Scott, who left the tournament for a day to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. When asked what was different between Saturday and Sunday, Scheffler didn’t take the easy out.

“I think I would attribute it mostly to a bad day. I think when you come out here to compete, you’re out here competing, you’re doing what you can throughout the course of the round to post a score and I wasn’t able to get that done yesterday,” he explained. “Did I feel like myself? Absolutely not. Was my warm-up the way it usually is and the distractions were they normally are? Absolutely not. But I’m not going to sit here and say that’s why I went out and played a bad round of golf yesterday.”

“Yesterday obviously was quite frustrating and a bit of a different day, but overall proud of how I fought this week,” Scheffler added. “Was fortunate to be out here competing, doing what I love.”

If Scheffler thought he had fan support this week, just wait until his fellow Texans rally around him in Fort Worth. That is, assuming he’s able to tee it up. No Laying Up’s Kevin Van Valkenburg reported Sunday morning that Jefferson County prosecutors are planning to drop the charges against Scheffler early next week.

Until then, we wait.

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Lynch: Scottie Scheffler’s scandal shows why the PGA Tour has to look elsewhere for much-needed spice

Whatever spicy side dishes the PGA Tour needs (and they do), they’ll have to source elsewhere.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It was during the 82nd PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club a couple dozen years ago that Stuart Appleby was asked what he’d need to shoot to have a chance to win.

“Tiger Woods,” he replied.

Most of those competing at the 106th edition this week can relate to the sentiment, even if the name has changed. Scottie Scheffler’s intimidation factor isn’t grounded just in wins—four in his last five starts, missing a putt to force a playoff in the one he didn’t claim. Nor is it based on a performance ledger that boasts so many “1’s” you’d assume it’s written in binary code: 1st in Strokes Gained Total, 1st Off the Tee and in Approach, 1st Tee-to-Green and Greens in Regulation, in Birdie Average, in Scoring Average, in FedEx Cup points, in official money ($18,693,235 and counting). He’s probably 1st in the Father of the Year race too, despite having only entered 10 days ago with the birth of his first child, a son named Bennett.

Many athletes have been temporarily thrown for a loop by parenthood, willing to pay a fortune to stay home or have a decent night’s sleep. Scheffler played twice amid feverish speculation about whether he’d withdraw if his wife, Meredith, went into labor. He won both, including the Masters. The PGA Championship is his first start since Bennett arrived. He opened Thursday morning by holing his second shot for eagle on the first hole and went on to card a 67.

Strike fatherhood from the list of things rivals hoped could disrupt Scheffler’s perfectly calibrated life balance.

PGA: Tournament hub | Sunday tee times | Photos

What Bennett didn’t do, surely the Louisville Metro Police Department could. On Friday morning, a cop handcuffed Scheffler after an apparent misunderstanding at the entrance of Valhalla when he attempted to navigate around a traffic stop caused by an unrelated fatal accident. It was a surreal incident for a man who has probably been no closer to prison than watching Shawshank Redemption. For a time, it seemed certain to derail his bid for a single-season slam, either by a missed tee time or a rattled performance. Instead, he teed off shortly after arriving at the course, birdied his opening hole and shot 66.

Guys in the locker room can strike prison time from the list too, and when that doesn’t work you know there ain’t much left.

Saturday finally saw a chink in the armor. For the third round, Scheffler was without Ted Scott, the caddie who has been on the bag for all 10 of his PGA Tour wins, who was attending his daughter’s high school graduation. Without his regular sherpa, Scheffler turned to Brad Payne, the PGA Tour chaplain.

Changing caddies is a delicate matter for Tour players, even for a day. The cadence of a relationship is impossible to replicate and difficult to replace, even with friends. Payne previously caddied on Tour, so he wasn’t present for just support without illumination, even if his days now are spent trying to save souls rather than strokes.

Scottie Scheffler smiles while waiting to tee off on the fourth hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. (Photo: Matt Stone-USA TODAY Sports)

Scheffler was off all day. He double-bogeyed the 2nd hole, added bogeys at the 3rd and 4th. Three birdies over the next 10 holes were each followed by a dropped shot. He shot 73 and is far off the lead. His hopes for the grand slam are extinguished.

This was a week that didn’t so much change perceptions of Scheffler as reinforce them, even with the mug shot in an orange jumpsuit. Because this was a very Scottie Scheffler scandal. No punches were thrown, no stimulants were involved, and as best we know there weren’t even terse words exchanged. In the aftermath, he hit the right notes. He faced the media, didn’t dodge questions, shared his version of events with humility and humor, and repeatedly expressed sympathy to the family of John Mills, the tournament worker killed in the accident that set events in motion.

While golf likes to contort itself to noble postures, sport is as much about rooting against competitors one dislikes as for those one likes. But the PGA Tour is suffering from a personality deficit since all of the prickly guys were poached by LIV. That’s a gap Scheffler can’t and won’t fill. He’ll never be a guy that folks hate. Heck, he might not even be a guy they love. Mostly just someone they like and admire, even those who don’t cotton to talk about faith. He’s a solid citizen, sober, courteous, thoughtful—basically the type of chap any parent would like their daughter (or son) to bring home.

Whatever spicy side dishes the PGA Tour needs (and they do), they’ll have to source elsewhere. Scheffler is destined to be written up more often in his church bulletin than in the National Enquirer. This week is the exception that proves the rule.

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Officer involved in incident that led to Scottie Scheffler’s arrest ‘did not have body cam footage turned on’

“The officer did not have body cam footage turned on during the incident,” Mayor Greenberg said on Saturday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said there isn’t any body camera footage of the incident involving Scottie Scheffler and Louisville Metropolitan Police Detective Bryan Gillis on Friday morning that led to the world No. 1’s arrest ahead of the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship.

“The officer did not have body cam footage turned on during the incident,” Greenberg said. “We will release footage that we have … to my knowledge, we have not yet discovered any video of the initial contact between Officer Gillis and Mr. Scheffler.”

Greenberg wasn’t certain whether Det. Gillis was wearing a body cam at the time of the incident, but did note that “fixed camera” footage from across the street will be released in the coming days. The mayor declined to comment on whether or not there have been discussions about dismissing any charges against Scheffler.

“Right now, the case is in the hands of our county attorney, and I will let the legal process play out,” said Greenberg.

Scheffler, 27, is facing the following four charges: Assault in the second degree of a police officer (a felony), criminal mischief in the third degree, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic. His arraignment has been scheduled for 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday, May 21.

OPINION: Scheffler got cuffed, but the reaction was more embarrassing

Scheffler was booked at 7:28 a.m. ET, released from custody at 8:40 a.m. ET and arrived at Valhalla Golf Club at 9:15 a.m. ET. According to a PGA of America source on site, Scheffler was personally escorted to the club by an owner of Valhalla and made his 10:08 a.m. ET tee time by less than an hour. The two-time major champion then shot a 5-under 66 to move into T-4 on the leaderboard at 9 under.

After his round, Scheffler called the incident a “big misunderstanding,” but the Louisville Metro Police Department begs to differ.

The arrest citation, obtained by USA TODAY Sports, claimed that Det. Gillis was dressed in his full LMPD uniform and was wearing a reflective rain jacket when he stopped Scheffler and attempted to give him instructions. The report claims Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward,” dragged Det. Gillis to the ground, injured him and damaged his uniform pants “beyond repair.” Det. Gillis was taken to the hospital for further treatment after he allegedly suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee.

The incident occurred after a man, John Mills of Crestwood, Kentucky, was involved in a fatal accident with a shuttle bus around 5 a.m. ET on the road that leads to Valhalla Golf Club. Mills was working security for this week’s championship.

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Lynch: Scottie Scheffler got cuffed, but golf world’s reaction was even more embarrassing

Compared to the loss of life, the Scheffler incident is minor. The golf world’s reaction to it was revealing nonetheless.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It’s been 14 months since the Department of Justice found the Louisville Metro Police Department routinely violated civil rights — including by making unlawful arrests during traffic stops — but you’d be forgiven for thinking such heavy-handedness was unprecedented until the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer was hauled off in handcuffs outside Valhalla Golf Club in Friday’s pre-dawn hours.

The particulars of what transpired around 6 a.m. will be litigated in due course. The only uncontested fact is that a traffic stop was in place after an unrelated accident claimed the life of a man working at the PGA Championship. Scottie Scheffler, still almost three hours from his 8:48 a.m. tee time but apparently eager to get started on his pre-round routine, steered around the stop and attempted to turn into the golf club’s driveway. The LMPD incident report offers a sober account of the ensuing altercation between the Masters champion and a police officer, during which the cop claims he was dragged by Scheffler’s tournament-supplied vehicle.

“Detective Gillis stopped subject and attempted to give instructions. Subject refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground. Detective Gillis suffered pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist and knee. He was transported to the hospital for further medical treatment by emergency medical personnel,” it states.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: How to watch | Tournament hub

The report concludes with a line that seems almost parodic given the $18.6 million Scheffler has earned on the golf course this season: “Detective Gillis’ uniform pants, valued at approximately $80 were damaged beyond repair.” The golfer was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.

“It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do,” Scheffler said in a statement, in which he also expressed sympathy to the family of the deceased. “I never intended to disregard any of the instructions.  I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.”

A booking photo of Scottie Scheffler by Louisville Metro Police after a traffic incident before the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Courtesy Louisville Metro Police via USA TODAY NETWORK

What we’re left with is a police officer who will (fairly or otherwise) be accused of overreacting, an embarrassed golfer who will (fairly or otherwise) be accused of acting as though laws don’t apply to him, and a luckless Lexus executive who will (fairly or otherwise) be rethinking the value of supplying courtesy tournament cars to professional golfers.

Compared to the loss of life, the Scheffler incident is minor. The golf world’s reaction to it was revealing nonetheless. There were ample social media posts and text messages that ranged from humorous to heretical, but some themes quickly emerged that were more exasperating than entertaining.

How can this be allowed to happen? Louisville is a crime-infested city, so helluva job for arresting a golfer! The mayor must do something! Where’s the governor? The chief of police must get to the jail and personally provide Scheffler an escort to the golf course! Why hasn’t the PGA of America marched its 30,000 members to the precinct? (Okay, that one is an exaggeration, but we’d have gotten there if Scheffler had been detained much longer).

It was a tsunami of entitled privilege underpinned by a conviction that the world’s top golfer simply can’t be treated in this manner, that he has a tee time in a major championship, that he’s attempting to win the second leg of the grand slam, that he’s a God-fearing model citizen — facts presented as though they are exculpatory. None of which actually matter a damn, and are arguments that Scheffler himself wouldn’t be so crass as to present. Even if the cop overreacted, Scheffler had no business ignoring law enforcement orders not to move his car — a lesson delivered much more harshly to many a citizen not fortunate enough to carry on with their day. 

The aftermath of the fatal accident caused an enormous traffic snarl, so the PGA Championship delayed tee times by 80 minutes. Having posed for his mug shot in an orange jumpsuit — a ritual humiliation that treats traffic infractions and terrorism equally — Scheffler arrived at Valhalla at 9:12 a.m. and teed off 56 minutes later. He birdied his first hole and the insular golf world sighed in relief that disaster had been averted.

Meanwhile, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said it had received “a couple of calls” about the man killed outside Valhalla. Identification was delayed until his family was notified.

He was John Mills, his name finally released about the time Scottie Scheffler made the turn in his second round, his grand slam hopes still very much alive.

‘#freescottie’: PGA Tour, LIV Golf players react to Scottie Scheffler’s arrest at 2024 PGA Championship

It’s been a surreal day at the 2024 PGA Championship in Valhalla, to say the least.

It’s been a surreal day at the 2024 PGA Championship in Valhalla, to say the least.

Scottie Scheffler was detained, handcuffed, arrested and booked by Louisville police early Friday morning — the video of that moment was captured by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington — as the second round of the major golf tournament was delayed.

After the incident, which stemmed from Scheffler driving past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club, golfers from around the world reacted on X (formerly Twitter) as the news continued to break on social media.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Friday photos | Leaderboard | How to watch

Here’s a sampling of what many of them said, including — it was inevitable, wasn’t it? — #FreeScottie:

Kevin Kisner

Ben An

Graeme McDowell

Cameron Percy

Bernd Wiesberger

Min Woo Lee

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