We live in a country where crime is out of control. Smash-and-grab mobs loot stores in cities across the nation, illegal aliens are assaulting and murdering wantonly, and antisemitic protesters are running roughshod over college campuses. But thank God that one of the greatest criminal masterminds in history got his due on Friday morning.
Scottie Scheffler is the number-one golfer on the PGA tour. He’s the raining Masters champion, and he’s the favorite to win this weekend’s PGA Championship. He’s a devout Christian, a devoted husband, and a new father. And thanks to the intrepid work of the Louisville, Ky., Police Department, whose officers totally didn’t overreact, he now faces four charges, including one felony.
Early Friday morning, Scheffler was driving to Valhalla Golf Club to get ready for the second round of the PGA Championship. There had been an accident in which a driver struck and killed a pedestrian, and police had traffic stopped. Scheffler attempted to drive around the accident scene, as one might do when encountering such traffic, when police told him to stop.
ESPN picks up the details of the incident:
According to ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, Scheffler was trying to drive around the crash scene on a median. A police officer instructed Scheffler to stop, but Scheffler continued to drive about 10 to 20 yards toward the entrance.
At one point, an officer attached himself to the side of Scheffler’s car. Scheffler stopped his car as he turned into the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club.
After about 20 to 30 seconds, Scheffler rolled down his window to talk to the officer. The officer grabbed Scheffler’s arm to pull him out of the vehicle, according to Darlington. The officer reached inside the vehicle to open the door, and once Scheffler was pulled out, he was pushed against the car and placed in handcuffs.
Darlington was standing at the entrance when Scheffler was detained. Darlington said Scheffler turned to him and asked, “Can you help?”
According to Darlington, an officer instructed him to back away.
“You need to get out of the way,” the officer told Darlington. “Right now, he’s going to jail, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Police booked Scheffler into the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections shortly before 7:30 a.m. and released him around 9 a.m. Scheffler’s attorney said that the golfer held up his credentials and that the whole incident was a miscommunication. Police took him to jail, where authorities charged him with four violations: second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. The assault charge is a felony, while the other charges are misdemeanors.
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As the sun came up, the traffic was still difficult to navigate, and some players got out of their cars to walk to Valhalla. Players wondered why the PGA was pushing to play the second round today after the fatal accident.
When Scheffler arrived at Valhalla, ESPN’s Marty Smith asked him if he had any comment. Scheffler, trying to keep things light, replied, “I love you, Marty.” On the walk to the driving range, fellow golfer Rickie Fowler asked Scheffler if he was good, and Scheffler replied, “All good.” His status to play was up in the air for a while, but he finally teed off at 10:08 a.m. as fans chanted his name.
The PGA released a statement on Scheffler’s behalf in which he referred to the incident as “a big misunderstanding” and said, “I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.”
Golfer Ian Poulter weighed in on everything that took place Friday morning:
So bizarre hearing the Scottie Scheffler Chaos this morning.
This is crazy. We as players at multiple tournaments every year are told during traffic around the venue to put Hazard lights on and proceed to the venue.
This is as simple as a misunderstanding. And clearly all…
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) May 17, 2024
What’s more concerning is the tragic loss of life at the PGA to a spectator hit by a bus. Thoughts to the families affected by that news.
Rather than all the press around Scottie.
Sad day in golf 🙏🏼#RIPGOLFFAN— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) May 17, 2024
I wrote on Thursday about how the vast majority of police officers are public servants who are doing their best to help their communities. But it makes me angry that with all the crime that is running rampant in our society, a Louisville Police officer overreacted to Scheffler’s misunderstanding of the situation. Here’s hoping that cooler heads will prevail, that the department will issue an apology, and that the police will drop at least the felony charge.