What happened to Scottie Scheffler? No. 1 golfer arrested before PGA Championship round

In the most bizarre incident golf has seen in years, Scottie Scheffler was arrested before his second round of the 2024 PGA Championship on Friday morning.

The world's No. 1 ranked golfer was detained near the scene of an early-morning fatal traffic crash near the entrance to Valhalla Golf Club. A Louisville police officer was directing traffic around the crash and, in what Scheffler called "a big misunderstanding," the golfer tried to drive around the scene.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the officer wrote Scheffler disregarded instructions and accelerated forward, dragging the officer to the ground. Scheffler was arrested about 6:30 a.m. and was booked into jail about an hour later before being released in time for his 10:08 a.m. tee time.

Here's what we know about the incident and what's next for Scottie Scheffler:

Who is Scottie Scheffler?

Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world. He was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey, in 1996 and was raised in Dallas. He went to college at the University of Texas.

At 27 years old, he has four PGA Tour wins this season, including the Masters in April and The Players Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. Scheffler has won the Masters twice, in 2024 and 2022. He tied for second at the 2023 PGA Championship.

Scheffler and his wife, Meredith Scheffler, had their first baby before the PGA Championship. Scottie announced the birth in an Instagram post on Monday.

Why was Scottie Scheffler stopped by police?

At 5:09 a.m. Friday, a vendor employee was struck by a shuttle bus attempting to cross a road heading into Valhalla Golf Club. The man was later pronounced dead. Because of the accident, the road leading to the entrance to the golf club was closed. The start of the PGA Championship also was delayed (Scheffler's original tee time was 8:38 a.m.).

According to ESPN's Jeff Darlington, who was at the scene, Scheffler tried to drive into the golf course at 6:01 a.m. when an officer asked him to stop. When Scheffler continued driving, the officer started yelling obscenities at him, Darlington said. Then when Scheffler stopped and rolled his window down, the officer reached into his vehicle and grabbed his arm.

Scheffler was told by the officer to exit the car. When he got out, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. According to ESPN, Darlington was standing at the entrance to the course when Scheffler turned to him and asked, "Can you help?"

What is Scottie Scheffler charged with?

Scottie Scheffler faces four charges stemming from his Friday morning arrest:

• Second-degree assault of a police officer

• Third-degree criminal mischief

• Reckless driving

• Disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic

The charge of assaulting a police officer is a felony. The other charges are misdemeanors.

Read Scottie Scheffler's statement after arrest

Scottie Scheffler released a statement to ESPN before his Friday tee time:

"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. 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."

Is Scottie Scheffler allowed to play at the PGA Championship?

Scottie Scheffler was released from jail at 8:40 a.m. and arrived at Valhalla Golf Club at 9:12. He teed off with Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman at 10:08 to a standing ovation and cheers of "Free Scottie."

What's next for Scottie Scheffler?

Scottie Scheffler has an arraignment scheduled for Tuesday morning, May 21. The PGA Championship is scheduled to end Sunday, May 19.

Where is the PGA Championship? Where is Valhalla Golf Club?

The 2024 PGA Championship is being held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the fourth time Valhalla has hosted the PGA Championship. Most famously, it was the site of the 2000 event when Tiger Woods won the third of four straight majors as part of the "Tiger Slam."

Scottie Scheffler PGA Championship tracker

Follow Scottie Scheffler's round at the 2024 PGA Championship.

Where to watch PGA Championship 2024 on TV, streaming

Friday, May 17

• 7 a.m.-noon: ESPN+ ($10.99 per month)

• 11 a.m.-3 p.m.: ESPN2

• Noon-8 p.m.: ESPN

Saturday, May 18

• 8 a.m. -1 p.m.: ESPN+

• 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: ESPN

• 1-7 p.m.: CBS

Sunday, May 19

• 8 a.m.-1 p.m.: ESPN+

• 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: ESPN

• 1-7 p.m.: CBS

Streaming options include fuboTV, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Golfweek's Adam Woodward contributed to this report.

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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Scottie Scheffler arrested: PGA Championship updates, police details