Scottie Scheffler: Charges dropped against world No 1 golfer after PGA Championship arrest

All charges have been dropped against world No 1 Scottie Scheffler after he was arrested at the PGA Championship earlier this month.

Scheffler had faced charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic on May 17.

Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell said: “Mr Scheffler’s characterisation that this was a big misunderstanding is corroborated by the evidence.”

Scheffler was not in court for the hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes and his lawyer O’Connell added he will not pursue a criminal case.

The 27-year-old was arrested by Louisville Metro Police on the Friday of the PGA Championship, after trying to drive into Valhalla Golf Club in heavy traffic caused by an earlier – unrelated – accident.

According to the arrest citation, Scheffler failed to stop on arresting officer Bryan Gillis’ command, and the detective grabbed the golfer’s tournament car as Scheffler tried to drive away. Gillis said his uniform pants were damaged in the fall and he was taken to the hospital for his injuries.

A surveillance video released by Louisville police last week showed Gillis pursuing Scheffler’s vehicle on foot and stopping him from entering the course. Scheffler is later pulled from the car and cuffed. But the video did not show Gillis’ first contact with Scheffler, authorities said.

Scheffler was released from jail in time to play his second round at the PGA and went on to finish tied-eighth, eight strokes behind winner Xander Schauffele.

Gillis later was disciplined by his department because his body-worn camera was turned off.

“The evidence we reviewed supports the conclusion that Detective Gillis was concerned for public safety at the scene when he initiated contact with Mr Scheffler,” O’Connell said. “However, Mr Scheffler’s actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses.”

Timeline: Scheffler’s ‘hectic’ week at the PGA Championship

Scheffler went into the PGA Championship as pre-tournament favourite after following his victory at The Masters by winning the RBC Heritage, his fourth PGA Tour win in five starts, with the American returning to action after skipping the Wells Fargo Championship for the birth of his first child.

He followed a four-under 67 on the opening day with a second-round 66 on Friday May 17, despite being arrested earlier in the day and only arriving back at the course less than an hour before his delayed tee time.

Play was delayed for 80 minutes on Friday after a fatal accident saw a pedestrian – later named as on-site vendor John Mills – struck by a shuttle bus shortly after 5am local time, while Scheffler was detained around an hour later as he attempted to drive around the scene.

Scheffler was taken away to Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections and a mugshot of him quickly appeared on social media in an orange jumpsuit, with the American booked in at 7.28am before being released at 8.40am.

He was released on his own recognizance and driven to the course for his second round, originally due to begin at 8.48am but pushed back until 10.08am because of delays, with Scheffler arriving at 9.12am and having a limited practice session ahead of his tee time.

Scheffler’s troubles switched from off course to on it on Saturday, where he was without regular caddie Ted Scott due to him attending his daughter’s graduation, as he dropped four shots in a three-hole stretch during a two-over 73 – his first over-par round of the year.

The 10-time PGA Tour winner bounced back on Sunday to card a six-under 65 and end the week tied-eighth, eight strokes behind Schauffele, with Scheffler proud of his finish after a “hectic” few days.

“On the course, I have always been proud of my toughness out there,” Scheffler told CBS. “I try to keep the off course as quiet as possible and this week was obviously not that way, but I’m proud of the way we competed and posted a decent finish running on fumes.”

Where will Scheffler play next?

Scheffler returns to action when he headlines the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, live from June 6-9 on Sky Sports, which is the latest of the PGA Tour’s Signature Events and a tournament where he has finished third in his previous two appearances.

The 27-year-old will then be the pre-tournament favourite once again a week later at the US Open, held at Pinehurst No 2 in North Carolina, with Scheffler targeting a second major victory of the year.

Scheffler has posted top-seven finishes in his last three US Open appearances, finishing a stroke back from Matt Fitzpatrick in 2022 and then taking third behind Wyndham Clark and Rory McIlroy in last year’s contest in Los Angeles.

Watch Scottie Scheffler in PGA Tour action throughout the 2024 season live on Sky Sports. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, majors and more with NOW.

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