World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler charged with felony assault outside PGA Championship course entrance
The PGA Tour's top golfer and reigning champion of the Masters was arrested and charged outside the course entrance to the PGA Championship. The charges included felony assault of a police officer.
Scottie Scheffler, the number one-ranked golfer in the world, was arrested in a bizarre incident after refusing to stop at the scene of an accident near the entrance of the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
An ESPN reporter named Jeff Darlington witnessed the incident and said that Scheffler was detained after a "misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club."
The traffic outside the golf course was stopped because a man was hit and killed by a shuttle bus at around 5 a.m. ET. The PGA Tour announced it would be delaying tee times due to "an accident near the course."
'Right now, he's going to jail, and there's nothing you can do about it.'
According to Darlington, Scheffler was trying to drive around the crash scene on the median, and when a police officer told him to stop, he continued to drive for another 10-20 yards toward the Valhalla Golf Club entrance.
A cop attached himself to the side of Scheffler's car, an ESPN report described, and the officer then yelled at the golfer.
"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," Darlington wrote on X.
Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
Scheffler, who won the Masters just a month ago, reportedly asked Darlington, "Can you help?" as he was being detained. The officer instructed Darlington to back away.
"You need to get out of the way," the officer told the sports reporter. "Right now, he's going to jail, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Scheffler was charged with felony assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic, according to local outlet WDRB citing court records.
Shortly after 9 a.m. ET, Scheffler was recorded entering the golf course after his release and was scheduled to tee off at 10:08 a.m.
🚨#WATCH: Scottie Scheffler has arrived at Valhalla Golf Club following his release from jail pic.twitter.com/2SP3gd6T4N
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) May 17, 2024
Scheffler was released and was ordered not to have any contact with the alleged victim, assumed to be the police officer, or any complaining witness.
His court date is scheduled for May 21, 2024, at the Jefferson District Court.
A spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Police Department told outlets that the deceased man was attempting to cross the road early in the morning when he has hit by a bus in the bus lane. The man reportedly died at the scene.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Masters champion boldly uses victory to point to his Christian faith: 'My victory was secure on the cross'
Scottie Scheffler is now a two-time Masters champion.
After his resounding four-stroke victory on Sunday, the 27-year-old golfer — who also happens to be the No. 1-ranked player in the world — used his moment in the spotlight to highlight the victory secured to him through his faith in Jesus Christ.
"I was sitting around with my buddies this morning, I was a bit overwhelmed, I told them, 'I wish I didn't want to win as badly as I did or as badly as I do. I think it would make the mornings easier,'" Scheffler told reporters.
"And my buddies told me this morning, my victory was secure on the cross," he continued. "And that's a pretty special feeling to know that I'm secure for forever, and it doesn't matter if I win this tournament or lose this tournament. My identity is secure for forever."
— (@)
Scheffler went on to explain that he believes "today's plans were already laid out many years ago, and I could do nothing to mess up those plans."
"I have been given a gift of this talent, and I use it for God's glory. That's pretty much it," he added.
And despite being the world's top golfer for more than two consecutive years, Scheffler described his golf career as "endlessly not satisfying" because, in the end, it's not as important as his family, friends, and faith.
"All I can think about right now is getting home. I'm not thinking about the tournament. I'm not thinking about the green jacket," he said, referring to his wife, who is about to deliver their first child.
"At the end of the day, I think that's what the human heart does. You always want more, and I think you have to fight those things and focus on what's good," he explained. "Because, like I said, winning this golf tournament does not change my identity. My identity is secure, and I cannot emphasize that enough."
Scheffler is a clearly a devoted Christian. He speaks about his faith on the biggest platforms in professional golf.
And his faith is probably the reason why he is dominating professional golf right now, as CBS News observed:
The freedom Scheffler's faith provides — allowing him to be secure in himself knowing all that's required is doing the best he can any given week — is a trait professional golfers strive to achieve through myriad psychological tricks, coaches and techniques.
That this belief system is built into the best player on the planet is an extraordinary benefit. In fact, it's among the reasons why he's the best player on the planet.
"I'm a faithful guy. I believe in a Creator. I believe in Jesus. Ultimately, I think that's what defines me the most," Scheffler said last week before the Masters.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
'I believe in Jesus': The No. 1 golf player says his golf achievements don't define him — then he points to the one who does
Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1-ranked golf player in the world, a position he has held for more than two years. But that's not what defines him.
Ahead of this year's Masters Tournament, the 27-year-old athlete said his faith in Jesus Christ — not his golf talent or athletic achievements — is what most defines him as a person.
"I'm a faithful guy. I believe in a Creator. I believe in Jesus. Ultimately, I think that's what defines me the most," Scheffler said on Tuesday during a press conference.
"I feel like I've been given a platform to compete and show my talent. It's not anything that I did," he continued. "I think I sat up here a couple years ago doing the interview after the 2022 Masters, and it's like, 'Yeah, I was underprepared for what was about to happen. I didn't know what was going to happen.' I was very anxious that morning. I didn't know what to expect, and it's hard to describe the feeling.
"But I think that's what defines me the most is my faith," Scheffler reaffirmed. "I believe in one Creator, that I've been called to come out here, do my best, compete, and glorify God, and that's pretty much it."
— (@)
In fact, Scheffler told reporters that he hopes golf doesn't define him "too much" because the sport is "selfish."
"I'm hoping it doesn't define me too much because — I feel like I say it a bunch — golf's something that I do," he said. "It's a tremendously huge part of my life. But it doesn't define me as a person. It's just something that I do."
Scheffler's Christian faith is a major part of his golf career.
After winning the Masters two years ago, Scheffler said his career is about glorifying God — not himself.
"The reason why I play golf is I'm trying to glorify God and all that he's done in my life," Scheffler said.
Famously, Scheffler attends Bible study with his caddie Ted Scott, whom Scheffler hired because of his Christian faith.
"He called me up and said, 'I really want to work with a Christian.' That’s how I try to live my life," Scott revealed in 2022.
As of Friday morning, Scheffler is tied for second place at the Masters, just one stroke behind leader Bryson DeChambeau.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
www.theblaze.com
freebeacon.com