“I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was the start of my warmup.”
If ever a quote summed up the jaw-dropping nature of Friday at the 106th US PGA Championship, this was it.
Scottie Scheffler – hitherto of unblemished reputation – found himself in handcuffs at 6am, charged with four offences within 90 minutes, released from Louisville custody at 8.40am and on the tee at Valhalla at 10.08am. His round of 66, to sit three shots behind leader Xander Schauffele, was in keeping with the remarkable events that came before.
Scheffler did nothing to mask how discombobulated he had been when bundled into the back of a police car. “I was pretty rattled to say the least,” Scheffler said. “I was never angry. Just in shock. I was shaking. I would say in shock and in fear. Coming out here and trying to play today was definitely a challenge but I did my best to control my mind, control my breathing.”
Scheffler is adamant his scenario “will be handled”. He added: “That will get resolved fairly quickly.” He was praiseworthy of police officers who tried to keep him cool. “A couple of them made jokes when they figured out who I was.” Sitting in a holding cell, Scheffler watched his own arrest on television. Withdrawing from the US PGA did not cross his mind.
“And next to play, from Texas, Scottie Scheffler.” Wyndham Clark had already driven off. Brian Harman had done likewise. The reigning US Open and Open champions were politely applauded, the atmosphere understandably subdued in pouring rain. Mention of Scheffler’s name from the starter drew wild roars.
The 27-year-old has won major championships and remains in a spell of sporting domination. Nothing, however, has drawn galleries towards Scheffler like this incident. “At no point did I try to name-drop myself to defuse the situation,” Scheffler said. “I just tried to remain as calm as possible and follow instructions.”
Scheffler cracked his first tee shot into the right rough. He had a far more stressful drive earlier in the morning. The world No 1 chipped back on to the fairway, flipped a 92-yard wedge shot to within tap-in range and walked off the 10th green with a birdie four. Cue more bedlam.
The swell of support for Scheffler had been apparent as he took to the practice range. “Bankrupt the city!” yelled one fan. “Make the city pay!” ordered another. Louisville wrong, Scheffler right. Golf fans are firmly on the side of the golfer in this clash with the authorities. They chanted Scheffler’s name, they willed him towards victory. There were even punters wearing T-shirts bearing Scheffler’s mugshot as he strode towards the scoring hut. At that point, he was only two from the lead.
Had Scheffler not been a guest of the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections, this would be nothing other than a miserable major day in Kentucky. The crowds had been electrified by Scheffler the renegade. It also felt as if the public had been waiting for a reason to root for this individual. Whether that says more about those spectators or Scheffler is another matter.
There is a tragic element to this story, of course. The death of an on-site worker, John Mills, after a collision with a bus should not be forgotten in the melee surrounding Scheffler. It will not be by the player himself. “My sympathies go out to the family of Mr Mills,” Scheffler said. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through. One day he’s heading to the golf course to watch a tournament. A few moments later he’s trying to cross the street and now he’s no longer with us. I feel for them. I’m sorry.”
Yet it should be possible to express sympathy over what took place outside the gates at 5am and separately assess the amazing scenes involving Scheffler, who had no idea an accident had taken place when he arrived. This is a sportsman ordinarily so risk-averse. After signing for a three-under 68, clubhouse leader Xander Schauffele said: “What I read with Scottie seems super unfortunate, he’s a solid guy and hopefully he comes out OK and unscathed.”
John Daly, who struggled to an 82 on Thursday, withdrew from the tournament, citing a thumb injury. Had it been the colourful Daly, not Scheffler, involved in tangles with the law then few would have raised eyebrows. In fact, every other member of the 156-man field would feature before Scheffler on any public poll offering guesses on the identity of the individual embroiled in the situation as transpired here. This is what made it such a jaw-dropper.
The newsworthy element of day two at Valhalla was only supposed to relate to awful weather. Golf, a once tame environment, continues to find fresh ways to amaze.