The police officer who attempted to prevent Scottie Scheffler from entering Valhalla Golf Club for the second round of the PGA Championship on Friday morning was dragged to the ground and suffered “pain, swelling and abrasions” to his left wrist and knee, according to an incident report filed by the Louisville (Ky.) Metro Police Department.
Per the report, Detective Bryan Gillis was directing traffic near Gate 1 of Valhalla. He was wearing a full police uniform and a “high-visibility yellow reflective rain jacket.”
The arrest came as Scheffler, 27, tried to enter Valhalla as he drove in a player-marked courtesy car. The 27-year-old was attempting to drive around the site of a fatal accident that occurred, per Louisville Metro Police, at 5:09 a.m. ET. It that incident, a shuttle bus struck and killed an adult male pedestrian as he was crossing the road near the front gate of Valhalla. The man was a vendor working at the tournament.
Per the report, Gillis stopped Scheffler to give instructions but the latter “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground.” The report also noted that Gillis’ uniform pants were damaged beyond repair and that he was transported to a local hospital for further medical evaluation.
Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 golfer, was arrested and charged with four offenses: second-degree assault on a police officer, a felony, as well as third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregrading signals from officers directing traffic.
According to the Louisville Courier Journal, a conviction on a second-degree assault charge calls for five to 10 years in prison on Kentucky.
Louisville attorney Steve Romines, hired Friday to represent Scheffler, told the newspaper that the golfer “didn’t do anything wrong.”
“He was following the instructions of another traffic control officer and trying to get into the facility to warm up and work out,” Romines said.
Scheffler was released from custody after being booked at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, his mug shot taken while wearing an orange jail-issued jumpsuit. He was released in time to make his tee time, which was pushed back by 80 minutes for all players because of the traffic jam that resulted from the accident.
He shot a 5-under 66 on Friday, standing at 9-under par after the first two days of competition.
An arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. ET.
–Field Level Media
