Scottie Scheffler: Fresh twist in arrest of world No.1

The arrest of Scottie Scheffler made headline news around the world last week, when the world No.1 was handcuffed and subsequently charged with multiple felonies ahead of the PGA Championship’s second round.

Scheffler, 27, was detained by the authorities in Louisville after attempting to drive into Valhalla Golf Club in heavy traffic early on Friday morning.

He was subsequently charged with second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer, all of which he denies.

The Masters champion’s arraignment date following the incident was supposed to take place yesterday but has been rescheduled for June 3.

It has since emerged that arresting officer Bryan Gillis failed to activate his bodycam video before stopping Scheffler, despite that being standard operating procedure.

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Consequently, local authorities are now set to investigate whether or not policies were followed correctly.

In a statement, Louisville’s chief of police Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, said: “The internal investigation is still ongoing.

“Any policy violations that are revealed through the course of the investigation will be appropriately addressed according to protocol. The department intends to provide an additional update on the investigation on Thursday, 23 May.”

In his weekly news conference, Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg added that “action will be taken” if policies were not properly adhered to.

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Scheffler’s lawyer Steve Romines said “multiple eyewitnesses confirmed” that the world No.1 “did not do anything wrong but was simply proceeding as directed.”

Shortly after arriving at the golf club to begin his second round following his arrest, Scheffler described the incident as a “chaotic situation”.

“There was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do,” he said.

“I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.”

The American ultimately finished the tournament in a tie for eighth on 13-under-par, eight shots behind winner Xander Schauffele.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor