Scottie Scheffler breaks silence on arrest after arriving at PGA Championship hours later

Golf No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has spoken out following his arrest on Friday outside Valhalla for the second major of 2024, the PGA Championship. The 27-year-old is facing four charges, including second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic after being detained and put in handcuffs by police after he tried to drive past a police officer at the entrance to the Valhalla Golf Club.

Scheffler arrived at Valhalla this afternoon less than an hour ahead of his scheduled tee time, 3:08 P.M. BST. The golf star has now detailed the "misunderstanding" that took place and resulted in his arrest after the second round was delayed due to an unrelated accident, which saw a shuttle bus strike and kill a pedestrian.

"This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers.  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. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions," Scheffler said in a statement posted by ESPN.  

"I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today. Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning.  It truly puts everything in perspective.”

Scheffler's lawyer Steve Romines has also labelled the incident a "miscommunication", with the focus now on the golf star's major tournament performance. Scheffler is one of the favourites to win the PGA Championship having won four of his last five events, as he also eyes a third successive victory after winning the Masters and RBC Heritage in April. 

Romines told WLKY: "He was going into Valhalla to work out and get ready for his tee time. They were directing traffic. He held his credential out and was going in like they'd been instructed to. And apparently, there had been a traffic accident or maybe even a fatality down the road, and that had changed the traffic patterns. And he was unaware of that. And I think the officer that was directing traffic was maybe not part of the event traffic detail. And so that's where the miscommunication arose, and that's why we're here."

A PGA of America spokesman has confirmed that the victim struck by the shuttle bus was a worker for one of the tournament's vendors. "This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club," a statement read.

"This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones."