Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was detained by police on Friday morning (local time) on his way to the PGA Championship.
Stunning images show him handcuffed as he was led to a police car. ESPN reported he failed to follow police orders during a pedestrian fatality investigation.
Traffic was backed up in both directions on the only road that leads to Valhalla Golf Club, with dozens of police cars flashing red-and-blue lights near the entrance.
ESPN aired footage of Scheffler handcuffed and walking toward a police car in the morning darkness, with traffic shut down for about a mile in both directions.
The station, citing a spokesperson from the Louisville Metro Police Department, said a shuttle bus struck and killed a pedestrian outside Valhalla.
An image from the ESPN video shows Masters champion Scottie Scheffler being detained by police.Credit: ESPN
Police said the pedestrian was trying to cross the road when struck by the bus in a lane dedicated to vehicles entering the club. Police said the man died at the scene.
ESPN said Scheffler, the world No.1, drove past a police officer in an SUV that had markings on the door, indicating it was a PGA Championship vehicle. Scheffler is reported to have driven past an officer, who screamed at him to stop and then attached himself to the car until Scheffler stopped a short distance later.
Once out of the car, Scheffler was put in handcuffs.
A video posted online by a journalist from ESPN shows one police officer leading Scheffler to a police car while another says to a camera: “Right now, he’s going to jail, he’s going to jail and there ain’t nothing you can do about it. Period.”
Jeff Darlington, an ESPN journalist who watched the incident unfold, said police pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him up against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs.
“Scheffler was then walked over to the police car, placed in the back, in handcuffs, very stunned about what was happening, looked toward me as he was in those handcuffs and said, ‘Please help me,’” Darlington said.
“He very clearly did not know what was happening in the situation. It moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively.”
Darlington said another police officer later approached with a notepad and asked if he (Darlington) knew the name of the person who had just been put in handcuffs.
American Scottie Scheffler during the first round of the 2024 PGA Championship.Credit: Getty Images
The PGA of America did not immediately comment.
The second round of the PGA Championship was already delayed by at least an hour because of rain. The PGA announced all tee times would also be affected by the accident. Scheffler had been scheduled to tee off in his second round at 8.48am local time (9.48pm AEST).
Australian golfer Min Woo Lee took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to publish a post that simply said “#FreeScottie”.
Scheffler shot a four-under 67 in his opening round at Valhalla, five shots behind overnight leader Xander Schauffele.
He was paired with last year’s US Open winner Wyndham Clark and The Open champion Brian Harman.
The world No.1 was the last player on the practice range after his round, still working on his game in preparation for his second round.
The 27-year-old drew comparisons to Tiger Woods after winning last month’s Masters at Augusta National as part of a stunning start to the year in which he has also claimed victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship.
The deeply religious golfer said in the wake of his second green jacket that his “victory was secured on the cross”.
Scheffler, whose wife Meredith gave birth to their first child earlier this month, then won the RBC Heritage Classic the week after The Masters.
Adam Pengilly with wires
