“I did spend some time in jail stretching. That was the beginning of my warm-up.
If there was one sentence that could sum up Friday’s jaw-dropping spectacle at the 106th PGA Championship, it was this.
Scottie Scheffler – who had hitherto had an impeccable reputation – found himself handcuffed at 6 a.m. and charged with four crimes within 90 minutes, and at 8:40 a.m. Fen was released from the Louisville jail and appeared on the tee at Valhalla at 10:08 a.m. His round of 66 was consistent with the extraordinary events that had preceded it.
Scheffler made no effort to hide his panic as he was bundled into the back of the police car. “I was very disturbed, to say the least,” Scheffler said. “I was never angry. It was just shock. I was shaking. I would be shocked and scared. It was definitely a challenge to come out here today and try to play, but I tried my best to control my thoughts, control my breathing.
Scheffler insisted his situation “will be dealt with.” “This issue will be resolved soon,” he added, praising the officers who tried to keep him calm. “When they found out who I was, some of them joked.” Scheffler sat in a holding cell and watched his arrest on television. He had no intention of quitting the PGA of America.
“The next person playing was Scottie Scheffler from Texas.” Wyndham Clark had already driven away. Brian Harman did the same thing. The reigning U.S. Open and Open champions were politely applauded, and the atmosphere naturally became subdued amid the pouring rain. The mention of Scheffler’s name in the opening remarks elicited loud cheers.
The 27-year-old has won major championships and remains dominant in the sporting world. However, nothing drew the gallery’s attention to Scheffler more than this incident. “I never tried to de-escalate the situation by calling names,” Scheffler said. “I just tried to stay calm and follow instructions.”
Scheffler hit his first tee shot into the right rough. His driving had been much more stressful earlier in the morning. The world’s No. 1 player got back on the fairway, hit a 92-yard wedge into range and made four birdies on the 10th green. Cue more confusion.
When Scheffler took to the practice field, the support was palpable. “Bankrupt this city!” one fan shouted. “Make the city pay!” Another order was ordered. Louisville was wrong, Scheffler was right. Golf fans are firmly on the side of golfers in this conflict with authorities. They chanted Scheffler’s name, hoping he would win. There were even punters striding to the scoring hut wearing T-shirts with Scheffler’s picture on them. At that point, he was just two points off the lead.
If Scheffler had not been a guest of the Louisville Department of Corrections, this would have been a tragically important day in Kentucky. Renegade Scheffler got the crowd excited. It also feels like the public has been waiting for a reason to support this man. Whether that says more about those viewers or Scheffler is another matter.
Of course, there is an element of tragedy to this story. In the melee surrounding Scheffler, the death of site worker John Mills after a collision with a bus should not be forgotten. This won’t be done by the players themselves. “My sympathies go out to Mr. Mills’ family,” Scheffler said. “I can’t imagine what they are going through. One day he was going to watch a game on the golf course. After a while he was trying to cross the street, but now he is no longer with us. I feel for them. sorry.
However, it should be possible to sympathize with what happened outside the door at 5 a.m. and assess separately the shocking scene involving Scheffler, who was unaware of the accident when he arrived. This is a generally risk-averse athlete.
John Daly shot 82 on Thursday but withdrew from the tournament citing a thumb injury. Few would be surprised if it was the colorful Dalí, rather than Scheffler, who was embroiled in legal trouble. Virtually every other member of the 156 would appear before Scheffler in any public poll, speculating on the identities of the individuals involved in what happened here. That’s what makes it so jaw-dropping.
The newsworthy elements of Valhalla’s second day should only have to do with the bad weather. Golf, a once mundane environment, continues to find new ways to amaze.
