17 May 2024 , 20:01
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Scottie Scheffler made headlines for all the wrong reasons on Friday morning, after he was arrested upon his arrival for round two of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
At 5:00 a.m. local time on Friday a fatal car accident just outside of the Kentucky golf club led to a hefty police presence around the Valhalla main entrance. One of the day's early arrivals was Scheffler, but the PGA Tour star found himself in trouble with the law after attempting to bypass traffic.
Scheffler was soon apprehended by police from his car, placed in handcuffs and whisked away to a local station where he was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic.
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Despite his legal run-in the American was released from custody, resulting in a quick-dash back to the golf course in order to make his 10:08 a.m. CT tee time. Doubts were cast as to whether he would be able to return to action, before his lawyer Steve Romines confirmed his release and that the case now lay with the courts.
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Asked the next steps after the charge, Romines said: "We will have court. He has been released, he will decide if he is going to play golf today or not and we will just wait for the courts."
Of course Scheffler did opt to return to action as she chases down back-to-back major titles after winning last month's Masters. Romines put the incident with his client down to 'miscommunication'.
"He was going into Valhalla to work out and get ready for his tee time," said. "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.
Scottie Scheffler was arrested on Friday and faces four charges (Getty)"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."
Scheffler broke his silence prior to his tee time on Friday, offering his condolences to the family of the man involved in the fatal crash hours earlier. "This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers," he said on social media.
"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."