Charges against Scottie Scheffler dropped after police operation during PGA Championship

Louisville authorities have dropped all charges against Scottie Scheffler in connection with a traffic accident outside Valhalla Golf Club on May 17. The dismissal of the charges comes on the condition that neither side takes legal action against the other, bringing to an end one of the strangest incidents in a bizarre era in men’s golf.

Jefferson County Prosecutor Mike O’Connell announced during a hearing Wednesday afternoon that all charges against Scheffler would be dropped. O’Connell stated that the county believes Scheffler’s version of events does not constitute criminal conduct and that the charge was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.

Scheffler, the world number one, was on his way to Valhalla to play the second round of the PGA Championship early in the morning when he was stopped by police just outside the club’s gates. Traffic around the club had been halted due to a fatal traffic accident involving a pedestrian about an hour earlier, and the pre-dawn scene was a chaotic mess of rain and flashing lights. Players were allowed into the club, and Scheffler attempted to do so despite being stopped by a police officer.

Video from the scene does not accurately reflect what happened during the incident because the officer, Det. Bryan Gillis, did not have his body camera on. Gillis claimed Scheffler dragged him along the sidewalk, which injured Gillis and damaged his pants. Scheffler claimed he stopped when ordered to do so and accepted his arrest without significant protest.

Scheffler was arrested and briefly detained before being released in time for his tee time at Valhalla. He played well immediately after his prison sentence, but struggled on Saturday and fell out of contention. Xander Schauffele won the PGA Championship after leading or co-leading from start to finish.

Scheffler’s arraignment was originally scheduled for the Tuesday after the tournament ended, but was then postponed until June 3. Because Scheffler was charged with a crime, he would have been required to be present at any major court proceedings, such as an arraignment.

Thanks to the dismissal, Scheffler can now put the whole episode behind him. He missed the chance to win a Grand Slam and was eight shots behind Schauffele, but given how well Schauffele played, it’s entirely possible that Scheffler would have struggled to keep up even without the distraction of Friday morning’s incident.