Scottie Scheffler was ‘shaking in jail cell’ after arrest

Scottie Scheffler has spoken of his shock and fear as he warmed up in a jail cell just hours before shooting a five-under 66 on a surreal day at the PGA Championship.

Scheffler was detailed by police in the early hours of the morning after what he described as a “misunderstanding” over traffic flow outside the Valhalla course following an unrelated fatal accident.

Dramatic footage which stunned the golf world on Friday showed the Masters champion in handcuffs being led to a waiting police car in Louisville.

He was later charged with second degree assault of a police officer, third degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.

Scheffler was then released from custody at 8:40am after having his mugshot taken in an orange jumpsuit. He arrived back at Valhalla less than hour before his 10:08am tee time in the black Range Rover of one of the course owners Jimmy Kirchdorfer.

• Scottie Scheffler’s lawyer threatens to ‘litigate’ after arrest

• Scottie Scheffler handcuffed, arrested and charged after PGA traffic incident

And he finished his second round on an ominous nine-under total after astonishingly producing some of his best golf in such unthinkable circumstances at Valhalla.

Scheffler began his post-round press conference by paying tribute to John Mills, the man who was tragically killed by a shuttle bus in the unrelated accident around an hour before his arrest.

“First of all, my sympathies go out to the family of Mr. Mills,” Scheffler told reporters. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through this morning. 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 can’t imagine what they’re going through. My heart – I feel for them. I’m sorry.”

Scheffler then opened up on the “chaotic” ordeal that left him shaking in a local jail cell.

“I feel like my head is still spinning,” he said. “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 warmup. I was just sitting there waiting and I started going through my warmup, 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 I tried to get my heart rate down as much as I could today, but like I said, I still feel like my head is spinning a little bit. But I was fortunate to be able to make it back out and play some golf today.”

At one stage while locked up, Scheffler had given up hope of competing in the major.

• Scottie Scheffler issues statement following PGA Championship arrest

“I didn’t really feel like I would make my tee time until one of the officers at the jail came by my holding cell and knocked on the window and said, ‘Let’s go,'” he recalled. “He said, Get ready, and motioned like this (indicating) to start rolling up my mat.

“So then I poked my head at the TV and I was like, oh, might be able to get there, we’ll see how bad the traffic is getting in and out.

“I’m just sitting there. I don’t really know what was going on. I didn’t know what was going on out here. I didn’t know how long the delay was. I was just in shock, and I think my body was just – I was shaking the whole time. I was shaking for like an hour. It was definitely a new feeling for me.

“Coming out here and trying to play today was definitely a challenge, but I did my best to control my mind, control my breathing.”

Still, Scheffler was only two shots behind clubhouse leader Collin Morikawa after a morning that left golf fans reeling in Louisville and well beyond.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.