LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) 鈥� Two-time Masters champion after police say he dragged an officer while trying to get around the scene of a fatal accident Friday ahead of the second round of the .
The 27-year-old Scheffler, the , was attempting to get to Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, around 6 a.m. when police say he illegally bypassed the scene of an accident where a pedestrian was killed.
Scheffler was charged with multiple counts, including second-degree assault of a police officer and reckless driving. He was booked and had his mugshot taken before being released. Scheffler called the chain of events a 鈥渂ig misunderstanding.鈥�
He returned to Valhalla in time for his 10:08 a.m. tee time. Scheffler received a loud ovation from fans when he was introduced, then birdied his first hole of the day, the par-5 10th.
WHO IS SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER?
Scheffler arrived at Valhalla this week as a heavy favorite following a run of dominance in the sport not seen since Tiger Woods' prime. He entered play Thursday having won four of the last five tournaments he entered, including 鈥� one of golf's four major events 鈥� last month at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia.
The soft-spoken Texan is an unlikely star. He fell in love with the game as a child, in northern New Jersey while his father, Scott, held a flashlight.
The Schefflers moved to Dallas during Scottie's childhood, with Scott Scheffler serving as a stay-at-home dad while Scheffler's mother, Diane, worked as the CEO at a law firm.
Scheffler played multiple sports growing up before ultimately settling on golf. He is hardly the only player in the family. His sister Callie played collegiately at Texas A&M.
He and his wife, Meredith, were high-school sweethearts and the Schefflers paint a portrait of a very unassuming life despite Scottie's jet-fueled rise to fame that began in 2022 when title. The process has only sped up over the last few months as Scheffler turned his gap over world No. 2 Rory McIlroy into more of a canyon.
Scheffler is an admitted homebody who prefers playing board games and relaxing by watching Instagram videos rather than indulging in the trappings of his success. He has won more than $61 million already in his career, including $18 million this season alone.
The Schefflers , son Bennett, on May 8, leading Scottie to reflect recently on how his life has played out.
鈥淚 married my high school sweetheart and I always wanted to play professional golf, and now I鈥檓 here,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was sitting there with a newborn in my arms and the green jacket in the closet. It was a pretty special time.鈥�
WHAT HAPPENED TO SCHEFFLER AT THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP?
Scheffler was attempting to get to Valhalla for an early stretch/workout ahead of his second-round tee time, initially scheduled for 8:48 a.m.
A vendor working at the course was struck and killed by a bus just after 5 a.m. while trying to cross a four-lane road. Traffic was backed up in both directions heading into the course while police conducted an investigation.
Scheffler was driving past the scene at around 6 a.m. when a police officer told him to stop. Police say the officer attached himself to the vehicle Scheffler was operating. Scheffler stopped, and the officer ordered Scheffler out of the car before putting him in handcuffs.
Louisville police say the officer was sent to the hospital after being dragged 鈥渢o the ground鈥� and suffering 鈥減ain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist鈥� after Scheffler's vehicle 鈥渁ccelerated forward."
A spokesperson for Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Saturday there is no police body camera video of the initial encounter between Scheffler and the officer. The officer was directing traffic at the time, and the department鈥檚 officers typically don鈥檛 record video with their body cameras while directing traffic, Kevin Trager, the mayor鈥檚 press secretary, wrote in a text message to an Associated Press reporter.
Scheffler was booked at 7:28 a.m. 鈥� about 2 1/2 hours before his updated tee time after the second round was delayed because of the fatality. He donned an orange jumpsuit and had his mugshot taken before being released. Scheffler said in a statement he never intended to break any traffic laws, expressed sympathy for the 鈥渢ragic accident鈥� and detailed the sequence of events that led to his arrest as a 鈥渂ig misunderstanding.鈥�
The world's top-ranked golfer then returned to Valhalla just after 9 a.m., emerging from the clubhouse about 20 minutes later to begin preparations for his round. Wearing a white hat and quarter-zip jacket, he received an ovation as he made his way to the driving range, with one fan yelling 鈥淔ree Scottie!鈥�
There was a sense of normalcy as Scheffler went through his routine. Fellow PGA Tour player Brendon Todd greeted Scheffler by saying 鈥済ood to see you." Todd then showed Scheffler something on Todd's phone, drawing a small chuckle from both.
Scheffler joined playing partners Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman at the 10th tee, with the gallery erupting when Scheffler was introduced. Scheffler's initial tee shot found the right rough, though he eventually stuffed his approach shot on the par-5 to 3 feet and tapped in for birdie.
By the time Scheffler was at the midpoint of his round, fans were already wearing white 鈥淔ree Scottie鈥� T-shirts as they stood behind the ropes a few yards away.
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AP golf:
Will Graves, The Associated Press
