Scottie Scheffler's arraignment on charges involving his arrest for allegedly assaulting a police officer outside of Valhalla Golf Club prior to the second round of the PGA Championship has been delayed, according to the World No.1's lawyer.
The 27-year-old was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. The first is a felony while the other three are misdemeanours.
The incident occurred following the death of 69-year-old John Mills - a PGA Championship vendor worker who was struck by a shuttle bus outside of the golf club at around 5am local time on Friday. A pedestrian fatality investigation was launched by police, shutting the road in both directions and causing diversions to be set up in the area.
Scheffler was attempting to reach the golf club ahead of his second-round tee time when the incident involving the law enforcer happened. Releasing a statement just before beginning his round that day, Scheffler said it was "a chaotic situation" and a "big misunderstanding."
He was due to appear before a judge in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday, May 21, but he will now do so on Monday, June 3 - days before the Memorial Tournament takes place in Dublin, Ohio.
According to ESPN, Scheffler's attorney, Steve Romines has revealed that his client will enter a plea of 'not guilty' to all four charges when the case returns to court next month.
Romines also said that a conflict in his own schedule was the reason for a change in date. In Kentucky, the accused person must attend an arraignment involving a felony in person, while misdemeanour charges can be handled by a representative.
Scheffler is playing in this week's Charles Schwab Challenge on the PGA Tour in his home state of Texas. The Memorial Tournament is later in the week of the new date, but many players choose to arrive at an event on the Tuesday as opposed to the Monday anyway.
The delay in court appearance arrives after Scheffler's T8 result at the PGA Championship, helped by three impressive rounds in the mid-60s. Despite being arrested on Friday morning, the World No.1 went out and shot 66 (-5) later that day to put himself in contention for a second-straight Major.
Scheffler - who has also recently become a father for the first time - admitted that the gravity of his arrest finally caught up with him on Saturday, however, partially leading to a first over-par round since last August.
