Scottie Scheffler looked like his usual self on stepping onto the green for the second round of the PGA Championship, despite an eventful morning.
On Friday, the American was arrested and handcuffed outside Valhalla Golf Club following an incident with an officer. In the wee hours of the morning, ESPN reported that Scheffler was detained by police due to a "misunderstanding with traffic flow". He was subsequently charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief in the third degree, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic.
According to ESPN, Scheffler - who is the World No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) - was officially released without bail at 8.40am ET. He arrived at Valhalla soon after, less than an hour before his scheduled tee-time of 10.08am ET.
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Taking to Instagram, Scheffler provided his side of the story, writing: "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."
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Touching on a separate traffic incident that resulted in a pedestrian fatality, Scheffler wrote: "Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man that passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective."
Fans in attendance for the PGA Championship provided Scheffler with a warm welcome, chanting his name and “Free Scottie” while standing out in the rain. After the 27-year-old carded a birdie on his first hole of the day, the crowd erupted into a state of pandemonium.
Scottie Scheffler was arrested early Friday morning (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Scheffler continued to dominate through the rest of the second round, shooting 5-under 66 and recording six birdies. He enters the weekend just two strokes behind tournament leader Collin Morikawa.
Scheffler’s strong performance is nothing short of incredible considering the unique situation he found himself in just several hours prior. "I feel like my head's still spinning," he told reporters.
"I can't really explain what happened this morning. I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell, that was a first for me. That was part of my warm-up, I was just sitting there waiting and I started going through my warm-up. I felt like there was a chance I may be able to still come out here and play.
"I started going through my routine and tried to get my heart rate down as much as I could today but like I said, I still feel like my head's spinning a little bit. But yeah, I was fortunate to make it back out and play some golf today."
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