Scheffler is arrested, released and stays on a memorable day at the PGA Championship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler sat handcuffed in the back seat of a police car before dawn. His warm-up routine began in a prison cell. And about six hours later, Scheffler posted a remarkable record of 5-under 66 and was in contention at the PGA Championship on Friday.

Collin Morikawa set the early pace with five straight birdies that took him to a 65. Tiger Woods had two triple bogeys and was on his way to a short stay in Valhalla.

These were mere footnotes in a day that was incredible.

“I feel like my head is still spinning,” Scheffler said.

The world number one and Masters champion was on his way to Valhalla around 6 a.m. when he ran into traffic, unaware that police were investigating a pedestrian – John Mills, who worked for a vendor at the tournament – who was hit by a Shuttle bus hit and killed.

Scheffler was arrested for failing to obey police orders. The arrest report states that a Louisville Metro Police officer was dragged to the ground as Scheffler’s car passed, causing swelling and abrasions to the officer’s left wrist. Scheffler said it was a “chaotic situation” and that he never intended to disobey police orders. “A big misunderstanding,” he said.

“I can’t imagine what they’re going through. “I feel for them,” he said of the victim’s family. “My situation will be resolved.”

Scheffler was handcuffed and arrested on second-degree assault and three other charges. The winner of a green Masters jacket posed for a mugshot in orange prison fatigues. He was able to see the video of his arrest on ESPN in the cell.

His heart was racing and his body was shaking.

“I spent some time stretching in a prison cell. That was a first for me,” said Scheffler. “I just sat there and waited and started to warm up. I felt like there was a chance that I might still be able to get out here and play. I started going through my routine and tried to get my heart rate down as much as I could today.

“I was lucky enough to make it back out today and play some golf.”

Not just any Golf. On his first hole, he hit a wedge from 3 feet for birdie. He was solid from tee to green, made a few putts and had a round that was one of his best under the circumstances.

“As far as the best laps of my career go, I would say they were pretty good,” Scheffler said. “I definitely never imagined I would ever go to jail, and I certainly never thought I would go to jail the morning before one of my tee times.”

He practiced a little after his round, signed a few autographs and tried to get back into the routine to prepare for what Scheffler considered strenuous.

This became clear from the results. Valhalla is soft and defenseless, and hardly any wind made it even easier.

Morikawa shot a lead of 11-under 131 in the morning wave, and Schauffele had passed him heading into the back nine.

Scheffler was at 133 along with Thomas Detry (67) and Mark Hubbard, who had three bogeys and three birdies in a round of 68 in his last seven holds.

Hubbard attracted some attention early Friday with a post

“Scottie is taller than me, there’s no way he’s 170,” Hubbard said after his round. “Like, I need to go to the gym and stop eating so much of my kids’ leftover mac and cheese.”

But then he turned serious, like so many other players, expressing shock at seeing Scheffler in handcuffs and his sadness for Mills, the 69-year-old victim.

“I thought the saddest thing about it was that the whole thing was about Scottie getting arrested and stuff – and like I said, I’m glad he’s OK and stuff – but I mean, somebody died this morning , and we were out there.” I bet 90% of the people out here don’t even know that happened.

“It’s not Scottie’s fault at all, but that was the real tragedy today.”

Austin Eckroat, who won his first PGA Tour title at the Cognizant Classic earlier this year, got out of his car in traffic and walked the rest of the way. His wife took the car and returned later. He made another 67 and was at 8-under 134 in the group.

“I called the local news station to find out what was going on and the first thing I saw was that Scottie had been handcuffed,” Eckroat said. “And I thought, ‘What in the world is going on?’ It was a strange morning.”

The only normality was golf. Schauffele is still going strong. Morikawa is getting closer and closer to the form that brought him two majors. And Scheffler still seems to be the player to beat.

He was unable to discuss many of the details of the arrest for legal reasons. In the three hours he spent off the golf course, Scheffler changed his wardrobe three times – gym clothes, prison clothes and golf clothes – took a mugshot and hired a lawyer. He returned to Valhalla 56 minutes before his start time.

And the cheers and support for him have never been louder or more unusual, especially the chants of “Free Scottie!” and quickly designed T-shirts saying the same thing.

“It’s been a pretty chaotic day for me in the tournament now, so from here I’ll focus on getting some rest and recovery and getting ready for the grueling final two days,” Scheffler said.

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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf