Fans were stunned last Friday morning when the golf star Scottie Scheffler was arrested before his second-round start at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Course in Kentucky. Now, a local inmate is speaking out to reveal what Scheffler really thought of his arrest.
Scheffler’s Reaction To Arrest
The unnamed inmate saw Scheffler being booked into the Louisville Department of Corrections. Let’s just say the World No. 1 golfer was not happy about it.
“He kept saying it was bulls–t that he was there,” the inmate told TMZ Sports.
The inmate went on to say that Scheffler was popular with both inmates and law enforcement alike. The inmate himself didn’t know who Scheffler was until a police officer pulled him aside and asked, “You know you’re talking to the number one golfer in the world, right?”
Scheffler reportedly drew a crowd, as inmates and corrections officials all tried to get a peek at him. The inmate witness even overheard jailhouse staffers questioning how long it would be before Scheffler was released.
It turned out that he didn’t have to wait long. He was arrested during the 6 o’clock AM hour, yet he still somehow managed to make it to his 10:08 AM tee time. Unfazed by his arrest, Scheffler then was able to birdie his first hole before shooting a 5-under, 66 2nd round at the PGA Championship.
Fox News reported that Scheffler was hit with the charges of second-degree assault of a police officer (a felony), criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic. He has been accused of driving past a police officer who was directing traffic and not stopping when told to do so. The officer reportedly attached himself to Scheffler’s car and was dragged, leaving him with unspecified injuries.
Find out more about this in the video below.
Related: Wild Video Emerges Of Scottie Scheffler’s Arrest Before Round 2 Of PGA Championship
Scheffler Claims This Was a ‘Misunderstanding’
Scheffler spoke out afterwards to call the incident a “misunderstanding.”
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers,” he told reporters later that day. “It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do.”
“I never intended to disregard any of the instructions,” he continued. “I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.”
The top golfer reportedly added that he continued warming up for the PGA Championships in his jail cell after his arrest.
Watch Scheffler’s lawyer address his arrest in the video below.
Related: Fans Rock Scottie Scheffler Mugshot T-Shirts at PGA Championship
Scheffler To Be Arraigned
Scheffler is set to be arraigned on Tuesday. The felony charge that Scheffler is facing is punishable by between five and ten years in prison, according to Daily Mail. However, it’s already being speculated that the charges against him will be dropped.
Louisville, Kentucky, Mayor Craig Greenberg has revealed that there is no bodycam footage of the alleged incident that led to the arrest. This could obviously make it difficult to move forward with a case against Scheffler.
Scheffler got his start playing at the University of Texas. He has gone on to become the top golfer in the world. In his personal life, Scheffler is known as a devout Christian and a devoted family man. That’s why his arrest was particularly shocking.
It will certainly be interesting to see how Scheffler’s arraignment goes tomorrow.
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