LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 golfer, was arrested Friday morning by Louisville Metro Police as he tried to enter the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club, the site of this week’s PGA Championship.
Around 5 a.m. ET, traffic outside the golf course was halted after a man was struck and killed by a bus.
According to ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, Scheffler attempted to drive into a median at the scene of the accident. A police officer instructed Scheffler to stop, but Scheffler continued to drive 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 to the Valhalla Golf Club.
After about 20 to 30 seconds, Scheffler rolled down his window to talk to the officer. According to Darlington, the officer grabbed Scheffler’s arm to pull him out of the vehicle. 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.
Scheffler was standing at the entrance to Darlington when he was arrested. Darlington Scheffler turned to him and asked, “Can you help?”
According to Darlington, an officer instructed him to back off.
“You need to get out of the way,” the officer told Darlington. “There’s nothing you can do. He’s going to jail.”
Scheffler, 27, has won four of his last five starts, including his second major championship at the Masters in April. He was scheduled to depart at 10:08 a.m. ET.
The start of the second round was delayed after a shuttle bus struck and killed a pedestrian outside Valhalla Golf Club, a spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed to ESPN.
The man, who has not been identified, was trying to cross Shelbyville Road around 5 a.m. when he was struck in the bus lane. Police said the person died on the spot.
Several police and first responders were on the scene at 6:45 am ET. Traffic backed up on the road in dark and wet conditions, and shuttle buses bringing fans to the golf course were halted.
The start is at 8:35 a.m. ET, PGA of America officials said. The second round was scheduled to begin at 7:15 a.m. ET.
