LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hush comes over any outdoor sporting event when a soft rain is falling. But Friday morning at Valhalla Golf Club, site of the 2024 PGA Championship, you can feel a stunned disbelief in the air. This as if people don’t really know what to say.
After a one-hour delay in play, T-shirts are now flying in as spectators are starting to fill the size of the fairways and ring themselves around the greens, but it’s eerily quiet. Yes, people are applauding when players are introduced on the first and 10th tee boxes, but otherwise this venue is quiet.
Umbrellas are everywhere in the practice area. There’s a soft rain falling, which should make the golf course vulnerable and produce low scores. Players and caddies are chatting, but you would not know that there had been a detention of the world’s number one player a few hundred yards away a few hours before.
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World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was arrested by police ahead of his second round at the 2024 PGA Championship. Scheffler was booked at 7:28 a.m ET, according to online records accessed by Golfweek.
Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic but was subsequently released.
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8:53 a.m.: While Scheffler’s situation is certainly something everyone is aware of, the job at hand is to win a major championship and keep up with the leader, Xander Schauffele, who tees off this afternoon. The only thing you can really hear in the practice area is the dull drone of electrical generators in the trucks nearby and in the television broadcast compound.
9:33 a.m.: Scheffler arrived in the practice area to a round of applause from the fans. After walking down the hillside, he did a fist bump with Rickie Fowler, who asked “You OK buddy?” Scottie replied, “Yeah, thanks,” and kept walking.
A lone fan yelled out “Free Scottie!”
9:44 a.m.: Brendan Todd walked by Scheffler at the range and added, “It’s great to see you a buddy.”
9:47 a.m.: Scheffler’s tee time is 10:08. Typically he would start preparing hours ahead of time. He’d eat breakfast, stretch and workout, hit balls and prepare mentally for the challenge of the course. Today, it looks like that will be condensed into a soggy hour or so.
9:49 a.m.: Does anything rattle Ted Scott, Scheffler’s caddie? He’s holding an umbrella, cleaning clubs, and smiling. You’d never know his guy had been handcuffed, in a police car and charged with crimes earlier this morning.
9:55 a.m.: Scheffler’s last drive of his warm-up had a carry distance of 292 yards. The ball speed was 177 mph. The morning’s events do not seem to have diminished his speed and he’s putting on his typical stripe on the range.
10:01 a.m.: After walking over the stair bridge and hitting a few bunker shots, Scheffler grabbed his putter and headed to the practice green. Few players, including Camilo Villegas, turned their heads. It was impossible to ignore the group of reporters, camera men, and TV people who are following Sheffler wherever he goes right now. Brian Harman is continuing to practice his putting with a mirror. Wyndham Clark and Will Zalatoris are going through their routines too. It’s the second round of a major championship and none of the things that are swirling around have anything to do with them.
10:28 a.m.: Kentucky is behind Scottie Scheffler. As he walked onto the 10th tee, chants of “Scottie! Scottie! Scottie!” erupted. While it will obviously be a very hard day for the world No. 1 player, the whole situation has created a very tough situation for Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman, too. This was always going to be a marquee group, but there’s a circus element to it now as well. As Scheffler was announced on the tee, an ocean of iPhones sprang from everywhere.
One fan yelled: “Scottie, I need your lawyer’s number!”
10:31 a.m.: Scheffler has always been a popular player, but never as popular as he is today here at Valhalla. After making a birdie on 10, he was cheered wildly walking to the 11th tee.
As is customary, the police officers providing security for Scheffler, Clark and Harman this morning. It’s a common practice with marquee players at every event, but this morning, after Scheffler was charged with assaulting one of their own, you have to wonder what is going through the minds of the police officers now assigned to ensure Scheffler’s safety.
11:39 a.m.: Scheffler released a statement to ESPN, saying “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.”
11:58 a.m.: The golf world reacts on X to the news of the arrest, with #freescottie trending.
12:10 p.m.: Check out some photos from the golf course on Friday, where fans are flocking to get a glimpse of Scheffler.
12:35 p.m.: Scheffler mug shot T-shirts have already been created, printed, sold and worn by fans at Valhalla Friday morning.
12:49 p.m.: Scheffler, who had just 30 minutes to warm up before starting his round on the 10th hole, recorded his third birdie in nine holes on the 18th before he made the turn. He’s 2 under on the day and 6 under overall, tied for seventh in the championship. Xander Schauffele, who has yet to start his second round, leads at 9 under.
1:26 p.m.: Another birdie and more cheers for Scheffler, who carded a circled 3 on the par-4 second hole, his 11th hole of the day. That moves him to 7 under and into a tie for fourth. They say very little fazes him and the fact that he’s 3 under just hours after being arrested and charged is kind of amazing. He’s currently two back on the leaderboard of Xander Schauffele and Mark Hubbard.
2:08 p.m.: Scheffler birdied the fourth for his fifth birdie of the day against just one bogey.
Scottie Scheffler birdies 3 of the last 5 holes!#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/8isjEJrXw3
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2024
3:01 p.m.: And yet another birdie for Scheffler. To a loud road from the fans on the seventh hole, his 16th of the day, Scheffler poured in his sixth birdie of the day to get to 9 under, two back of a red-hot Collin Morikawa, who has zoomed into the lead.
4 p.m.: Scheffler made par on his final two holes to sign for a 5-under 66 and reach 9 under par for the tournament. He’s currently T-3, two shots behind Morikawa.
Golfweek will be updating this story throughout the day.
