Scottie Scheffler Admits to 'Shaking' with Fear During Arrest Before PGA Championship: 'My Head's Still Spinning'

Scottie Scheffler details his reaction to his arrest on Friday, May 17 – and how the ordeal left him “shaking the whole time”.

The world’s top-ranked golfer, 27, was arrested by Louisville Metro Police for trying to bypass a traffic stop and enter the Valhalla Golf Club early this morning, before being charged with second-degree assault on a police officer.

He was also charged with three misdemeanors, including a third-degree felony, reckless driving and disobeying the traffic signal of a traffic control officer.

“I was never angry. I was just in shock, and I think my body was just — I was shaking the whole time,” Scheffler recalled during a news conference after the second round of the PGA Championship that same day, during which he claimed a plate with the best results.

“I was shaking for about an hour. It was definitely a new feeling for me. [An officer] we went out and had a nice chat and then the police officers at the prison were great,” he added. “A few of them were joking, I think when they realized who I was and what happened and how I ended up there.”

Scottie Scheffler arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer while driving to a PGA tournament

Photo by golf pro Scottie Scheffler.

Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections

Scheffler’s arrest, according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, happened around 5:45 a.m. local time — about 45 minutes after the man was tragically killed by a bus while trying to cross the street around 5 a.m.

The PGA has since identified the man as the supplier John Mills.

Darlington, who was present during the arrest, said Scheffler attempted to drive around the crash through the median despite being ordered to stop by the officer. When he did, he was handcuffed. Major Jason Logsdon of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections told ESPN that Scheffler was released at 8:40 a.m. without bail.

“The subject refused to comply and accelerated forward, pulling Detective Gillis to the ground,” according to a police report to CNN.

After Scheffler shared on his Instagram stories shortly after the ordeal that he was “directed by the officers” to continue, his attorney Steven Romines told ESPN the incident was a “miscommunication.” He added that the officer who tried to stop him was not part of the event’s regular traffic detail.

“They’re allowed to pass, that’s why they have a credential and a pass,” Romines said. “He was unaware that an accident had occurred and carried on as he was told. He did exactly as he was told to enter the room.”

The attorney also said, according to NBC News, that his client “did not implicate any officers.”

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Scheffler further described the arrest during his latest press conference, telling reporters, according to a transcript from NBC Sports, that his “condolences” go out to the Mills family and that his arrest was a “chaotic situation and a huge misunderstanding.”

“I spent some time stretching in a prison cell. It was my first time,” he said. “That was part of my warm-up. I was just sitting there waiting, and I started going through my warm-up, I felt like there was a chance I could still come out here and play. I started going through my routine and I tried to get my heart rate down today as much as I could, but like I said, I still feel a little dizzy.”

Scottie Scheffler jumps to No. 3 at PGA Championship after arrest, while Rory McIlroy drops

Scottie Scheffler in the final round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia.

Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty

Scheffler added that he was “pretty upset to say the least” while in jail, and that the officer who took him there was “very nice” and the police offered him a sandwich.

“My body was – I was shaking. I would say in shock and fear,” he said. “Coming out here and trying to play today was definitely a challenge, but I did my best to control my mind, control my breathing.”

He later stated that he “did everything he could to defuse the situation” and “the officers at the prison were amazing”.

“I’ve apologized countless times, but like I said, it was chaotic, it’s dark, it’s raining, all sorts of things are happening,” the athlete said. “They just had an accident. I didn’t know what happened at the time, other than it was an accident. I didn’t know it was fatal.”

“Like I said, my heart goes out to the family. But no, at no point did I try to call names to defuse the situation. I just tried to remain as calm as possible and just follow instructions.”

The PGA Championship ends on Sunday, May 19.

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