LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The most shocking day in the history of major golf championships began with tragedy, as the world's No. 1 men's player, Scotty Scheffler, was arrested, booked into a local jail, and released in time to tee off. Ta.
Police were called to the street outside Valhalla Golf Club just after 5 a.m. on a rainy Friday morning. A shuttle bus traveling on Shelbyville Road struck and killed John Mills, a local man who worked for a PGA Championship tournament sales company.
The fatal accident shut down traffic in both directions outside of Valhalla, which is hosting the first major championship in 10 years. Scheffler arrived at the scene an hour later, amidst persistent rain and flashing police lights, entered the grounds and began preparing for his 8:48 a.m. tee time for the second round of the PGA Championship. I tried. It is typical, even common, for police and security personnel to be present outside of major championship routines. “I probably drive by a police officer like that 10 times a year,” said one PGA Tour swing coach, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
What happened next was anything but typical. According to a Louisville Police Department arrest report, Detective Brian Gillis attempted to stop Scheffler, who was eastbound, as he attempted to veer into the westbound lane. The police report said Scheffler continued to advance while “dragging Detective Gillis to the ground,” causing injuries that required medical treatment and irreparable damage to his $80 uniform pants. Stated. ESPN NFL reporter Jeff Darlington, assigned to cover the second major golf tournament of the year, happened to be on the scene and watched the game unfold and reported that Scheffler's vehicle moved 10 to 20 yards before coming to a final stop.
Mr. Scheffler's attorney, Steve Romines, said that Mr. Scheffler was initially directed to go inside and that the police officer directing traffic was not involved in directing traffic at the event. “There was a misunderstanding and that's why we're here,” Romines said Friday morning.
Darlington reported that Scheffler stopped the car, rolled down the window, and the officer reached inside, grabbed Scheffler's arm and pulled the door open. Officers then handcuffed Scheffler and forced him into his car. As Scheffler was being escorted to a police car in the rain and darkness, video taken by Darlington showed Scheffler turning around and saying, “Can I help you?”
Another officer told Darlington, “You need to get out of the way.” “Now he's going to jail and there's nothing you can do about it.”
Scheffler turned himself in to the Louisville Department of Corrections at 7:28 a.m. and was charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and failing a traffic-directing officer. A court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
After wearing an orange jumpsuit, posing for a mugshot that was quickly posted online, and stretching in his cell while wondering if he would be released in time, Scheffler was released at 8:40 a.m. and sent to Valhalla. He and a colleague came to pick me up in a black SUV. Owner Jimmy Kirchdorfer was in the passenger seat. He arrived at the course at 9:12 a.m., less than an hour before his 10:08 a.m. tee time, but a long crash backup also delayed the course start for the rest of the field.
Scheffler entered the clubhouse, ate a quick breakfast and headed to the driving range for an abbreviated practice session with more than 30 minutes to spare.
All eyes were on Scheffler's team as they made their way through the practice field and over the player bridge that connects the putting green to the practice field. As the world No. 1 player walked from the driving range to the open bay in the center of the hitting area, players turned heads and 30 members of the media followed as closely as possible.
“Are you okay?” Rickie Fowler asked Scheffler.
“It's okay,” Scheffler replied.
Thousands of spectators stood in the rain and peered around the corner, hoping to see the world's No. 1 player and the sport's No. 1 story. Dozens of cameras were set up on either side of the 10th fairway, and all the credentialed reporters appeared to be crammed inside the ropes. This was the kind of gallery you could only see with Tiger Woods in his prime.
Then the 6-foot-3 Scheffler stepped through a tarp fence and emerged under a large umbrella wearing a white quarter zip and blue pants. Before the starters announced Scheffler's name, the Louisville crowd erupted into a roar that most onlookers agreed was exponentially louder than any first-tee-up hit they had ever heard.
“Scott, I! Scott! Scott, I!” they chanted.
One fan yelled, “Release Scotty!” Another said: “You look good in orange!” One of them said, “One of us!” In recent weeks, articles have been written about Scheffler lacking the charisma to match the top spot in golf. On Friday morning, the entire compound appeared to be behind Scheffler, something the gallery had never seen before, a surreal sight as Scheffler was hailed so soon after his arrest.
After Scheffler leaves the Louisville prison, he enters the Valhalla clubhouse. (Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Images)
As he hit his first tee shot and walked down his first fairway, Scheffler walked alongside playing partners Windham Clark and Brian Herman. He vividly told them the story and clearly told them what had happened on Friday morning. Herman stared back with a shocked expression. As Scheffler hit his first approach shot out of the hole for an easy birdie, a voice could be heard saying, “All the world is on your side,” followed by another, “Scotty!” A chant broke out on the way to number 11.
Scheffler's five-and-a-half hour round continued on, and the combination of extreme support and youthful humor that quickly made one forget the man's death led to this moment. When I teed off at No. 15, a fan said, “What is this? Is this a work presentation program?” Another person told a police security officer: Are you going to let him just leave? ” The officials laughed.
But the chants of “Free Scottie” continued unabated. On the 16th hole, a fan named Bob Parks proudly unzips his jacket and spreads it out with his arms, revealing a white T-shirt with “FREE SCOTTIE” written in black marker as Scheffler and his pals watch. Please confirm. Scheffler kept his head down and concentrated all day, but he didn't notice. A few yards away, another of his three-person group was wearing similar shirts. They said they saw the news around 7:30 a.m. and immediately grabbed a marker and scribbled on their clothes. Other fans wore shirts with pictures of Scheffler's face printed on them. Another man, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, said he stopped at Party City on the way.
Scheffler said he sat in his cell shaking for an hour after the round, trying to slow his heart rate. He had no idea if he would be able to play, so he stretched as much as he could in his cell, knowing that conditions would be tough once he got back on the track. “That was a first for me,” he joked. The police officer who drove him to the station was kind and easy to talk to, so while he was waiting to enter the station, he sat down and asked, “What do you think?” Can I calm down? ” Scheffler said he was never angry, he was just shocked. At one point, when he looked up from his cell, he saw himself being arrested on ESPN.
One of the older officers looked at Scheffler and asked: “So, do you want to experience the whole thing today?”
Scheffler looked back at the confused officer and said he didn't know how to respond.
“Now, would you like a sandwich?” the officer retorted. So Scheffler, who hadn't eaten anything, ate a sandwich.
Some fans were quick to print T-shirts to support Scottie Scheffler. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Eventually, an officer knocked on the cell and said, “Let's go.” Scheffler looked up at the TV, checked the time, and realized he might make it if there was no traffic. As he got into his car, manager Blake Smith asked if he still wanted to play. Of course Mr. Scheffler said so. He said he heard an immense amount of support as soon as he stepped out on the field and tried to keep his focus, but the support meant a lot to him.
Despite all the confusion surrounding his eventful day, Scheffler shot a 66 and arrived in the clubhouse just two points off the lead. It was a better round than he played on Thursday.
And when Scheffler finished the back nine, his security personnel were asked if they had been heckled all day.
“Oh, yes,” said the officer. “We'll probably heckle you too.”
The players gathered in Valhalla's locker room, wondering what to do. Will Zalatoris said there were discussions about playing in the PGA of America and canceling the second round. A man had just died. And the most likely candidate, the number one player in the world, was arrested.
“It was just weird,” Zalatoris said.
Even before Friday's tragedy, Zalatoris thought the tournament was so chaotic that he told his parents not to come. “He's not satisfied that he was proven right,” he said. He said it took him nearly an hour to get to the course each day, even though it was only a half-mile away, and on Friday the weather was so bad that he left his wife in the car and went with him, Cameron Young, and Austin. Eckrot said he arrived at the course by walking along the highway. course. When they arrived there, tournament officials did not know who they were or whether they should be allowed entry.
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, like Zalatoris and many other players, wanted to pause the conversation and remind everyone of the worst thing that happened on Friday.
Morikawa said, “It's unfortunate that he passed away early today.'' “I don’t think that’s talked about enough or talked about at all.”
Then on Friday afternoon, Scheffler walked up to a packed press conference, took a deep breath, and began talking about John Mills. He downplayed the interaction that led to the arrest, saying he could not comment on it but it would be addressed. Instead, he thought about Mills' family.
“I can't imagine what they're going through this morning,” Scheffler said. “One day he's heading to the golf course to watch a tournament. A few minutes later he's walking across the street and now he's no longer with us. I can't imagine what they're going through. My heart goes out to them.”
With two days left in the PGA Championship, Scheffler remains the favorite to win his second straight major. Once the tournament is over, legal issues will await him. His arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to online court records.
Scheffler tried to get back to his normal routine Friday afternoon, with plans to go to the gym and practice a little afterward. His concentration has calmed down from Friday's unusual morning and he will be looking to get back to normal for the rest of the weekend. No more stretching in prison.
(Photo: Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
