LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Essentially the most surprising day in golf main championship historical past started with a tragedy, and noticed Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 male participant on this planet, arrested, booked into an area jail and launched in time to tee off.
It was simply after 5 a.m. on a wet Friday morning that police had been referred to as to the road exterior of Valhalla Golf Membership. A shuttle bus touring down Shelbyville Highway struck and killed John Mills, an area man working the PGA Championship for a match vendor.
The deadly wreck triggered site visitors to be shut down in each instructions exterior of Valhalla, which is internet hosting the foremost championship for the primary time in a decade. Scheffler arrived on the scene an hour later, amid a gentle rain and flashing police lights, in search of to enter the property and start preparation for an 8:48 a.m. tee time for Spherical 2 of the PGA Championship. A police and safety presence exterior of a significant championship routine is typical, even frequent. “I drive by cops like that most likely 10 instances a 12 months,” one PGA Tour swing coach mentioned, talking on the situation of anonymity because of the delicate nature of the matter.
What occurred subsequent was something however frequent. When Scheffler, touring eastbound, tried to maneuver his automobile into the westbound lane, in keeping with the Louisville Police Division arrest report, detective Bryan Gillis tried to cease the automobile. The police report mentioned Scheffler continued ahead, “dragging Detective Gillis to the bottom,” and famous that he suffered accidents that required medical remedy, in addition to irreparable injury to his $80 uniform pants. Jeff Darlington, an ESPN NFL reporter assigned to cowl the second golf main of the 12 months, occurred to be on the scene and watched it unfold, reporting that Scheffler’s automobile moved 10 to twenty yards earlier than coming to a ultimate cease.
Scheffler’s legal professional, Steve Romines, mentioned Scheffler was initially instructed to go in and that the officer directing site visitors was not a part of the occasion site visitors element. “In order that’s the place the miscommunication arose and that’s why we’re right here,” Romines mentioned Friday morning.
When Scheffler did cease, he lowered his window and the officer reached in, grabbed Scheffler’s arm and pulled the door open, Darlington reported. The officer then put Scheffler in handcuffs and pushed him towards the automobile. As Scheffler was escorted towards a police automobile within the wet darkish, a video filmed by Darlington confirmed Scheffler turning to say, “Are you able to assist?”
“It’s good to get out of the way in which,” one other officer advised Darlington. “Proper now, he’s going to jail, and there’s nothing you are able to do about it.”
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Inside essentially the most weird day in main golf with the arrest of Scottie Scheffler
