Scottie Scheffler, World No. 1 Golfer, Was Arrested This Morning After a Police Officer ‘Attached Himself’ to the Side of Scheffler’s Car. Wait, What?

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Early Friday morning, the golf world woke to startling news: Scottie Scheffler, the world's number-one-ranked golfer, had been arrested while on his way to tee off in the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Country Club, in Louisville, Kentucky. Scheffler was booked and taken to jail around 5 a.m. on charges that included second-degree assault of a police officer and reckless driving; by 9 a.m., he'd been released, and managed to make his 10:08 a.m. tee time. As of this writing, he's played four holes. The golf world remains, understandably, aflame with intrigue (and plenty of memes). So—what happened here, exactly? Let's dig in.

I'm new here. Who is Scottie Scheffler, again?

Scheffler, 27 going on 45, has been for the past year or so the most dominant golfer on the planet. Last month, he won his second Masters (the first came in 2022); the month before that, he won his second consecutive trophy at The Players Championship. He's been on a remarkable tear, seemingly beatable only when his putter stops working.

So what happened on Friday morning in Kentucky?

Scheffler was in town to play in the PGA Championship, the second on the calendar of golf's four major tournaments. Per ESPN, Scheffler was on his way to Valhalla Golf Club when he was stopped by a police officer. Early that morning, a shuttle bus had reportedly struck and killed a pedestrian; in response, traffic to the golf course had been stopped. Per ESPN's Jeff Darlington, who happened to be on the scene, Scheffler attempted to enter the club by driving around the incident on a median. A police officer instructed him to stop, but when Scheffler continued driving, the officer grabbed onto Scheffler's car. “After about 20 to 30 seconds, Scheffler rolled down his window to talk to the officer,” ESPN reported. “The officer grabbed Scheffler's arm to pull him out of the vehicle, according to Darlington. The officer reached inside the vehicle to open the door, and once Scheffler was pulled out, he was pushed against the car and placed in handcuffs.” When Scheffler asked Darlington for help, the officer told the reporter to back away from the scene, and reportedly said, “Right now, he's going to jail, and there's nothing you can do about it.”

So the world's best golfer is in jail?

Not quite. Scheffler was taken to jail, photographed in what appears to be an orange prisoner's uniform, and booked on charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic before being released without bail.

What is Scheffler accused of?

In addition to the above charges, a police report filed in conjunction with the arrest asserts that Scheffler “refused to comply” with the officer directing traffic, and in “dragging Detective Gillis to the ground” by accelerating, “damaged beyond repair” the Detective's $80 uniform pants.

How did the golf world respond?

First with shock, and then (perhaps inevitably) with memes. Some X users took the occasion to suggest that Scheffler should have simply complied with the officer's instructions, while others pointed out that people who aren't wealthy white golfers don't typically get quite the same benefit of the doubt from police during traffic stops. On the whole, the vibe in GolfWorld seems to be that Scheffler was unlucky to find himself on the wrong side of a misunderstanding with the Lousiville Metro Police Department. It's not quite the PGA Tour's ACAB moment, but this is about as close as a country club sport can get.

And how about Scheffler?

Surprisingly well, all things considered. When asked for comment by the ESPN reporter Marty Smith, Scheffler replied, "Love you Marty." And shortly before he teed off, Scheffler posted the following statement to Instagram: “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.”

So…now what?

Great question. For at least the time being, the PGA Championship continues apace, with Scheffler part of the field. He's currently one under through two holes, tied for eighth place on the leaderboard. We'll update this story as it develops.

Originally Appeared on GQ