How Scottie Scheffler fared Friday after his arrest at the PGA Championship – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Masters champion and No. 1 golfer in the world Scottie Scheffler shot a 5-under 66 in the second round of the PGA Championship on Friday after being arrested earlier in the day on the way to the tournament for he failed to follow police instructions when examining a pedestrian’s death.

Scheffler was arrested by police at 7:28 a.m. ET, released before 9:00 a.m., and arrived at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky at 9:12 a.m. He began warming up and started his second round at his scheduled tee time of 10:08 a.m.

The world’s No. 1 golfer started his round on the 10th hole and scored a birdie. He made a bogey and a birdie on his next two holes, made five consecutive pars and closed the first nine holes with a birdie on No. 18.

On the back nine, Scheffler had three birdies and saved par on his final hole to finish the game at 5-under.

“I spent some time stretching in a prison cell,” Scheffler said after his second lap on the podium.

After falling 4-0 in Thursday’s opening round, Scheffler entered the clubhouse in third place at 9-0. Collin Morikawa was at the top of the leaderboard at 11 under after shooting 6 under on Friday.

Scheffler is a two-time major champion with victories at the Masters in 2022 and 2024. He is just over a month away from his latest triumph at Augusta and also gave birth to his first child with his wife last week.

Timeline of Scottie Scheffler’s arrest

Police said a pedestrian was struck by a shuttle bus while crossing the street on a roadway designated for tournament traffic. The man, John Mills of Louisville, was pronounced dead at the scene around 5:09 a.m

According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Scheffler was on his way to Valhalla shortly after 6 a.m. when he drove past a police officer in an SUV that had markings on the door indicating it was a PGA Championship vehicle. An officer told Scheffler to stop and clung to Scheffler’s car before the golfer drove about 10 yards and stopped. According to Darlington, police pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him against the car and immediately handcuffed him.

An incident report filed by the Louisville Metro Police Department said an officer named Detective Gillis stopped Scheffler and attempted to give him directions after the golfer attempted to avoid traffic following the fatal incident. The report states that Scheffler “refused to comply” and accelerated while pulling Detective Gillis to the ground. Detective Gillis was taken to the hospital after suffering “pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee” and his “uniform pants, valued at approximately $80, were damaged beyond repair,” the report said.

Court records show Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault, third-degree criminal trespass, reckless driving and failure to obey signals of an officer directing traffic.

“This morning I followed police instructions,” Scheffler said in a statement released before his tour. “It was a very chaotic situation, understandably given the tragic accident that had occurred previously, and there was a big misunderstanding about what I thought I should do. I never intended to disobey any of the instructions. I hope I can put that aside and focus on golf today.

“Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest condolences to the family of the man who died in the accident this morning. It really puts everything into perspective.”

After his round, Scheffler said: “My situation will be clarified.”

Scheffler’s arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to court records.

“Our primary concern today continues to be with the family of John Mills, who died in a tragic accident while reporting for work this morning,” the PGA of America said in a statement to NBC News. “Regarding the Scottie Scheffler incident, we are fully cooperating as local authorities investigate what happened. While the legal process is ongoing, questions should be directed to Scheffler’s attorney or local authorities.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.