Typically, the media is never supposed to be the story. Sometimes, however, the story happens right in front of you, and you can’t help but get involved. Such was the case early this morning as ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington was a witness to a bizarre scene outside Valhalla Golf Club, site of this year’s PGA Championship, which ended in World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler being arrested and taken to jail.
Darlington posted what happened on his X account:
“Breaking News: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club. The police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla. The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. He is now being detained in the back of a police car.”
What is not mentioned in Darlington’s post is that traffic had been stopped due to a man being struck and killed by a shuttle bus.
Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. He has since been released from police custody and is back at the golf course.
Scheffler released a statement to Darlington saying, “This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. 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. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today. “Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.”
According to reports, Scheffler was trying to drive around the crash scene on a median when an officer instructed him to stop. Reports say Scheffler continued to drive and the officer “attached himself” to the car. Scheffler then rolled down his window and the officer is said to have pulled him out of the car once he was able to open the door and then Scheffler was taken into custody.
Darlington was filming the incident, and you hear Scheffler ask him, “Can you help?” as the officers attempt to move Darlington away from the scene.
The second round of the PGA Championship was set to start at 7:15 ET this morning, however, it has been delayed until 8:35 a.m. ET.
