Scottie Scheffler says he was ‘pretty rattled’ as he was arrested outside the Valhalla Golf Club on Friday, but did manage to warm-up and stretch in his jail cell before firing an impressive round of 66.
The 27-year-old, the world’s top-ranked golfer, was handcuffed and led away by police ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship in surreal scenes on Friday.
There had been a heavy police presence in the area outside the iconic golf course in Louisville, Kentucky, following a road accident in which an individual was struck by a bus and killed.
It’s alleged the American golf star attempted to manoeuvre around the scene and was detained after being ordered to stop and exit his vehicle.
He was subsequently charged on several counts including second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
While a plea hearing awaits Scheffler on Tuesday, the Masters champion somehow managed to focus his mind and card a magnificent five-under 66 in the second round after being released by Louisville Metropolitan Police.
‘I can’t comment on any specifics but my situation will be handled. It was just a big misunderstanding,’ Scheffler told reporters after the second round.
‘I was pretty rattled, to say the least. The officer that took me to the jail was very kind, he was great. We had a nice chat in the car and that helped calm me down.
‘When I was sitting there waiting to go in I asked him, “Excuse me, can you just come and hang out with me for a few minutes so I can calm down?”, and I was never angry.
‘I was just in shock and I was shaking the whole time, I was shaking for like an hour, it was definitely a new feeling for me.’
Scheffler was able to ‘go through his routine’ in his jail cell before hitting an incredible birdie in the first hole of the second round of the PGA Championship.
‘I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me!’ he added.
‘That was part of my warm-up, I was just sitting there waiting.
‘I started going through my warm-up when I felt there was a chance maybe I would come out here and play.
‘I started going through my routine and I tried to get my heart rate down as much as I could today.
‘But I still feel like my head is spinning a bit but I was fortunate to be able to make it back out and play some golf today.’
Looking to win back-to-back majors, Scheffler moved to nine under, three shots behind leader Xander Schauffele, at the end of an extraordinary day.
‘As far as best rounds of my career, I would say it was pretty good,’ he continued.
‘I definitely never imagined every going to jail and I definitely never imagined going to jail the morning before one of my tee times.’
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