The 2024 PGA season has been one for the ages for Scottie Scheffler — and not just on the golf course.
The world No. 1 won the Masters. He's up to five wins heading into the U.S. Open. He welcomed his first child with his wife Meredith.
He also spent time in a jail cell.
Scheffler was arrested ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship in Louisville. The 27-year-old found himself in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit and, upon his release, had to hustle back to Valhalla Golf Club to make his tee time in what Scheffler described as a "chaotic" sequence.
What exactly happened at Valhalla? Here is a refresher on how Scheffler found himself inside a Louisville jail during the PGA Championship.
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Why was Scottie Scheffler arrested?
Scheffler was arrested in the morning on Friday, May 17, ahead of the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship. His arrest came after he attempted to drive around the scene of a traffic accident to enter Valhalla Golf Club.
A fatal accident earlier that morning resulted in heavier police presence than usual around the entrance to the club. A pedestrian died after being struck by a shuttle bus while attempting to cross the road, ESPN reported.
Scheffler was stopped by a police detective, then attempted to maneuver his vehicle around the incident to enter the course.
Bryan Gillis, the Louisville Metro Police detective, allegedly grabbed onto Scheffler's car and was dragged "to the ground" before arresting Scheffler, per a police report obtained by ESPN's Michael Eaves.
The detective reportedly "suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee" and was taken to the hospital. His pants were "damaged beyond repair." The LMPD later released pictures of Gillis' ripped pants and "abrasions" to his left knee and wrist.
LMPD has released a bunch of previously redacted documents from the Scottie Scheffler arrest.
— Lachlan McLean 📺 (@LachTalk) June 7, 2024
here's the "injury" to the knee of Detective Bryan Gillis... and the infamous $80 pants. pic.twitter.com/b1Yb3dhloh
Scheffler contended, via his attorney Steve Romines, that he did not know about the change in traffic patterns and believed he was following established procedure to enter the course. Romines also refuted the police report of Scheffler dragging Gillis with his car.
"[Gillis] was not struck by Scottie's car, and he was not drug by Scottie's car," Romines told ESPN. "So however he got to torn pants or a scrape on his knee didn't have anything to do with Scottie Scheffler."
MORE: How many wins does Scottie Scheffler have this year?
Scheffler issued the following statement after his arrest:
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.
Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.
Scheffler was taken to the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections at 7:30 a.m. ET and he spent a brief period in a jail cell, but was released without bail and made his tee time for the second round of play at Valhalla. He arrived at the course around 9:12 a.m. ET and teed off an hour later.
Was Scottie Scheffler charged?
Scheffler faced four criminal charges: second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic.
All of the charges against him were dropped on May 29.
"Mr. Scheffler's characterization that this was a big misunderstanding is corroborated by the evidence ... Mr. Scheffler's actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses," Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said.
Scottie Scheffler arrest video
ESPN's Jeff Darlington shared video of police arresting Scheffler.
Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
In the week after the PGA Championship concluded, the Louisville Police Department released its own footage of the arrest.
Gillis did not have his body cam on during of the arrest, which is a violation of LMPD policy. As a result, Gillis received "corrective action" for his error, the department said.
