The second round of the 2024 PGA Championship was delayed by over an hour and 20 minutes on Friday due to pedestrian fatality near Valhalla Golf Club in the early hours of the morning.
Around an hour before the first groups were due to begin the second round, the PGA of America confirmed all tee times would be pushed back by at least 60 minutes following the news of a "serious accident" nearby.
UPDATERound 2 of the 2024 PGA Championship is delayed due to an accident near the course. The next update will be at 7 a.m. ET. #PGAChampMay 17, 2024
It was later discovered that a male pedestrian - who was set to be working at the PGA Championship in one of the vendor tents - had died after being struck by a shuttle bus.
The vehicle was travelling eastbound on Shelbyville Road, not far from the gates at Valhalla Golf Club, when the accident occurred at around 5am. Local police said the man died at the scene.
Hours after the incident, the PGA released a statement confirming the news and sent its best wishes to the family of the person involved.
"This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family…May 17, 2024
The governing body later confirmed that after a near-90-minute delay, the PGA Championship second round would begin at 8:35am ET, with the first groups initially set to begin at 7:15am.
The postponement arrived at the start of a day where plenty of rain and potentially some thunderstorms have also been forecast, therefore the chances of players completing their second rounds on Saturday instead is increasing.
Xander Schauffele leads the way at Valhalla on nine-under after a stunning opening round of 62 - a course record.
It appeared as though one of Schauffele's challengers, Scottie Scheffler might not make it to the course on time, though, after being arrested and charged by police following an apparent 'misunderstanding' over a traffic flow issue on his way to the course this morning.
Scheffler was officially detained by police around 6am ET before going on to be 'booked' by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections at 7:28am local time on May 17.
He was then released a couple of hours later and made his way back to Valhalla in order to prepare for his second-round tee time. Just before he began Friday's action alongside Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman, Scheffler released a statement explaining his version of events.
It read: “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."
In his statement, Scheffler also referenced the person who lost their life on Friday morning. He said: "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.”
