More twists in Scheffler scenario
Legal issues still hang over world No. 1; PGA ratings get bump; NBC's big USGA plans
Screenshot of Scottie Scheffler traffic arrest (Jeff Darlington/ESPN)
Scottie Scheffler is set to play in this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, an event in Fort Worth, Texas, near his home of Dallas and where he lost in a playoff a year ago to Sam Burns. It’s a comfortable place and a nice tournament to get back to work after his tumultuous week at the PGA Championship.
But the legal situation that arose on Friday in Louisville, Kentucky, has yet to go away. And it will carry over at least a couple of weeks, according to his attorney.
Scheffler, as all golf fans know by now, was arrested early last Friday morning in the aftermath of a tragic scene outside of the gates of Valhalla Golf Club. Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking, was trying to get to the course in the early-morning darkness and rain, unaware that the traffic jams and enhanced police presence was due to an accident about 400 yards up the busy road in which a pedestrian had been struck and killed by a shuttle bus.
Police had blocked off traffic in both directions, but players, officials, caddies and media were permitted to enter, having been allowed to drive past the traffic in courtesy lane carved out for official tournament vehicles and clearly marked player courtesy cars. Nobody else reported any issues entering the club but Scheffler apparently ran afoul of Louisville Metro Police Department Detective Bryan Gillis, an accident scene investigator who was helping direct traffic.
What happened next is in dispute, but in a matter of moments, Scheffler was being pulled from his courtesy vehicle, handcuffed and eventually booked into jail on four charges, one of them a felony for second-degree assault on a police officer. It has since been learned that Gillis was not wearing bodycam video equipment.
Scheffler spent about an hour in the Jefferson County Jail getting processed and was eventually released, making it back to Valhalla less than an hour before his second-round tee time. Amazingly, he shot 66 on Friday before fading on Saturday and rebounding Sunday to tie for eighth in the PGA Championship.
Scottie Scheffler mug shot (Louisville Metro Police Department)
While there was a report over the weekend that cited a source claiming he charges against Scheffler would be dropped, that has turned out to not be the case. According to Scheffler’s Louisville attorney, Steve Romines, Scheffler will now be required to appear at a June 3 arraignment which was postponed after originally be scheduled for Tuesday morning.
“I’ve been defending criminal cases for 30 years and have learned to never be surprised,’’ Romines said. “Whoever reported (the charges) were going to be dismissed was not accurate.’’
All of which leaves an uneasy pall over the entire situation. During the chaos in the dark and rain and flashing lights, Scheffler might very well have disobeyed the directions of a police officer, something not to be taken lightly. But it also can be true that the situation did not need to escalate to the level it did, with the officer maintaining he was assaulted.
On Tuesday, the Louisville police said that an internal investigation is on-going.