Golf pro Scottie Scheffler talks about his arrest, praises police as 'our protectors'

The world's number one professional golfer isn't sweating a recent arrest by police officers in Louisville, Kentucky. At least not anymore.

“She was pretty freaked out, to say the least,” American golfer Scottie Scheffler initially told reporters after her arrest on Friday.

But luckily, the arresting officer helped calm him down.

“The officer who took me to jail was very nice,” Scheffler said. “He was great. We had a good chat in the car, that helped calm me down. I was sitting there waiting to get in and I said, 'Hey, I'm sorry, can you come hang out with me for a few minutes so I can calm down?' . I was never angry.”

“I was in shock, and I think my body was shaking the whole time. I was shaking for like an hour. It was definitely a new feeling for me. He came out and we had a good chat and then the officers inside the prison were great. I think a couple of them cracked a few jokes when they found out who I was and what happened and how I ended up there,” he added.

Listen:

Scheffler went on to praise the police.

“This older officer looked at me while I was getting my fingerprints or whatever, and he looks at me and said, 'So you want the full experience today?' ” he said. “I kind of looked at him and said I don't know how to answer that.”

“He said, 'Come on, man, you want a sandwich?' protectors out there, and like I said, we just got into a chaotic situation this morning. That's really all it was,” he added.

According to multiple reports, Scheffler was on his way to the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville for the second round of a tournament Friday morning when he drove directly to the scene of a fatal car crash in which a man was crossing the street and was hit by a shuttle bus.

But instead of stopping, he tried to run him over, sparking a confrontation that eventually led to him assaulting a police officer and subsequently being arrested.

“A Louisville Metro Police Department report alleged that at approximately 6:16 a.m. ET, Scheffler swerved into opposing lanes of traffic to avoid backup traffic and access the golf course,” according to CNBC.

“A Louisville Police detective, dressed in uniform and wearing a high-visibility waterproof jacket, stopped Scheffler and attempted to give him instructions, but the golfer “refused to comply and sped off in a drag.” [the officer] on the ground,” the report said,” notes CNBC.

The officer “suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee” and was taken to a hospital.

Scheffler's behavior has inspired the creation of more than 1,000 memes on X:

Scottie Scheffler this morning pic.twitter.com/kqcppBRzWc

— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) May 17, 2024

Viewpoint: College student who was arrested last night waking up to Scottie Scheffler entering Louisville's drunken tank pic.twitter.com/le1Csduq5M

— Sam Swank (@SlamminSamSwank) May 17, 2024

Addressing the arrest later with reporters, Scheffler claimed it was just a big misunderstanding.

“It was a chaotic situation and a huge misunderstanding,” he said. “I can't comment on any of the details, so I'm sorry you'll be disappointed, but I can't comment on any of the details, but my situation will be handled.”

“It was just a big misunderstanding. If you have any questions about golf today, I'm happy to answer them, but other than that, I can't go into what happened, outside of my heart goes out to the family,” he add.

He also said a few words on behalf of the victim of the car accident he had tried to pass.

“First of all, my condolences go to the family of Mr. [John] Mills,” Scheffler said. “I can't imagine what they're going through this morning. One day he goes to the golf course to watch a tournament. A few moments later he's trying to cross the street, and now he's not with us. I can't imagine what they're going through. I feel sorry for them.”

The golfer also spoke about his experience in prison.

“I spent some time lying in a jail cell,” he said. “That was a first for me. That was part of my warmup. I was sitting there waiting and I started doing my warmup, I felt like there was a chance I could still come out here and play.”

“I started doing my routine and tried to get my heart rate down as much as I could today, but like I said, I still feel like my head is spinning a little bit. But I was lucky enough to be able to get back out there and play some golf today,” he added.

Senior Staff Writer
[email protected]

V. Saxena is a writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

Latest posts from Vivek Saxena (see everything)

We have zero tolerance for comments that contain violence, racism, profanity, profanity, doxing, or rude behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it, click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for engaging with us in a fruitful conversation.