PGA Championship 2024 live updates: Scottie Scheffler climbs leaderboard despite arrest for assault of a police officer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The most shocking day in golf major championship history began with a tragedy, and saw Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 male player in the world, arrested, booked into a local jail and released in time to tee off.

It was just after 5 a.m. on a rainy Friday morning that police were called to the street outside of Valhalla Golf Club. A shuttle bus traveling down Shelbyville Road struck and killed John Mills, a local man working the PGA Championship for a tournament vendor.

The fatal wreck caused traffic to be shut down in both directions outside of Valhalla, which is hosting the major championship for the first time in a decade. Scheffler arrived at the scene an hour later, amid a steady rain and flashing police lights, seeking to enter the property and begin preparation for an 8:48 a.m. tee time for Round 2 of the PGA Championship. A police and security presence outside of a major championship routine is typical, even common. “I drive by cops like that probably 10 times a year,” one PGA Tour swing coach said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter.

What happened next was anything but common. When Scheffler, traveling eastbound, attempted to move his vehicle into the westbound lane, according to the Louisville Police Department arrest report, detective Bryan Gillis attempted to stop the vehicle. The police report said Scheffler continued forward, “dragging Detective Gillis to the ground,” and noted that he suffered injuries that required medical treatment, as well as irreparable damage to his $80 uniform pants. Jeff Darlington, an ESPN NFL reporter assigned to cover the second golf major of the year, happened to be on the scene and watched it unfold, reporting that Scheffler’s vehicle moved 10 to 20 yards before coming to a final stop.

Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, said Scheffler was originally instructed to go in and that the officer directing traffic was not part of the event traffic detail. “So that’s where the miscommunication arose and that’s why we’re here,” Romines said Friday morning.

When Scheffler did stop, 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 against the car. As Scheffler was escorted toward a police car in the rainy dark, a video filmed by Darlington showed Scheffler turning to say, “Can you help?”

“You need to get out of the way,” another officer told Darlington. “Right now, he’s going to jail, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”