Golf | Scottie Scheffler is not the first professional golfer to be arrested at a tournament. Here are five more – including one of Al Capone’s henchmen.

The arrest of Scottie Scheffler just hours before his second-round tee shot at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, will go down as one of the most shocking in the history of professional golf. But it was certainly not the first.

Tiger Woods and John Daly are probably the most famous golfers to wear handcuffs, but Scheffler’s arrest is something entirely different because it happened while he was competing in a tournament – a major championship, no less.

Woods was arrested in 2017 on suspicion of driving under the influence when he was found sleeping in the driver’s seat of his Mercedes-Benz while recovering from back surgery. Daly was arrested in October 2008 in North Carolina after he was found drunk outside a Hooters restaurant and held until he sobered up.

At least five other professional golfers – Robert Allenby, Steven Bowditch, Matt Every, Joe Ogilvie and Jack McGurn – were arrested either during or around a tournament.

Robert Allenby

Australian golfer Robert Allenby was arrested outside a casino in Rock Island, Illinois, hours after missing the cut at the 2016 John Deere Classic. Allenby was arrested outside Jumer’s Casino and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.

Steven Bowditch

Another Australian, Steven Bowditch, was arrested for extreme drunk driving after the first round of the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Scottsdale police said Bowditch had a blood alcohol level of over 0.20% when he was taken into custody.
Responding to a 911 call about a truck “swinging all over the road,” officers observed the vehicle stationary at two green lights with Bowditch asleep behind the wheel. He was released from jail, shooting 3-for-74 in the second round and missing the cut.

Matt Every

Matt Every was in his first year on the PGA Tour when he was arrested for marijuana possession two days before the first round of the 2010 John Deere Classic in Bettendorf, Iowa. He was arrested along with two other men after police were called to investigate the odor of marijuana coming from a room.

According to a police report, the smell grew stronger when police knocked on the door. Each finished 56th in the tournament and were later suspended for three weeks. He was suspended for 12 weeks in 2019 for violating the PGA Tour’s drug conduct policy.

Joe Ogilvie

Joe Ogilvie was charged with driving while impaired following a traffic stop the day before the 2006 Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.

According to police, he was pulled over for speeding and the officer smelled alcohol. He failed a sobriety test and was taken into custody before posting bail. This week he finished 26th.

Jack McGurn

Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn was one of Chicago gangster Al Capone’s henchmen and also a pretty good thug. He entered the 1933 Western Open under an assumed name and scored 83 points in the first round. The next day, police learned of McGurn’s ruse and planned to arrest him on the route.

According to Golfheritage.org, Chicago had just passed a law that would treat people associated with crime as vagrants unless they can prove legitimate income. At the time, McGurn was running a bookmaking business. McGurn was 1 under when officers approached him on the seventh green to make the arrest. But McGurn asked if they could let him finish his round, and they agreed.

The encounter must have shocked McGurn because he finished with an 86 and was then taken to the hoosegow.