Scottie Scheffler is on the field at this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge just days after his PGA Championship tie.
Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Week of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler’s amazing PGA Championship is over, but the controversy surrounding his strange arrest continues, as evidenced by two major updates involving Scheffler’s case in the past day.
Beginning Wednesday, May 22, Scheffler prepares to compete in this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, near Scheffler’s home in Dallas, Texas. The main reason he was able to do that came with the postponement of his trial date in Louisville.
Scheffler faces four charges stemming from his arrest early Friday morning near Valhalla before last week’s second round of the PGA Championship. Among those alleged crimes is second-degree assault on a police officer, a felony, punishable by 5-10 years in prison.
Scheffler was originally scheduled to appear in court on May 21st, but that has been postponed to June 3rd.
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Later on Tuesday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced that the police department will investigate the actions of the officers involved in Scheffler’s arrest and whether they followed proper protocol.
At a press conference Tuesday announcing the investigation, Greenberg was asked why the body camera of the former arrestee did not work when Scheffler was arrested.
“In my understanding, based on the facts as I know them now, I understand why the body camera may not have been activated in the initial contact between Officer Gillis and Mr. Scheffler,” Greenberg told reporters. “I still have questions as to why it was not found when Mr. Scheffler was arrested.”
Scheffler’s account of the incident, as well as the accounts of an ESPN reporter and an ESPN play-by-play announcer present at the time of the arrest, differed from that of the arresting officer, Detective Bryan Gillis of the Louisville Metropolitan Police.
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The incident began when Scheffler was trying to get to class Friday morning around 6 a.m. ET., but a fatal crash near the entrance caused what Scheffler called “chaos” on the road.
Gillis said he stopped Scheffler and tried to give him instructions, but Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging. [him] down.”
According to the police report, Gillis “suffered pain, swelling and bruising to his left wrist and knee.” He was taken to the hospital for further treatment by emergency personnel. Detective Gillis’ uniform pants, worth about $80, were damaged beyond repair.”
In a statement released later that morning, Scheffler wrote that he was “proceeding as directed by the police” and that the incident was the result of “a misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do.” I never intended to disobey any orders.”
Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, told GOLF.com, “Scottie did nothing wrong on purpose. He was doing what they told him.” He also confirmed to GOLF.com that Scheffler plans to deny the “criminal” charges.
ESPN’s Bob Wischusen – who was in the van with ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who first reported the arrest – also witnessed the incident and described it this way:
“When [Scheffler] it passed by him, the policeman got very angry and chased the car,” Wischusen told GOLF.com. “…My opinion was that he was running around chasing a car, maybe he tripped and fell. I mean, there was kind of an exit or a median, you know, by the front gate. And remember, it was raining. It was 6 o’clock in the morning. It was dark.”
He continued, “I could see him stumbling, but I didn’t have a clear idea of how he wanted to separate his connection with the car.”
Scheffler runs into the opening round of the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth on Thursday afternoon at 1:45 pm ET.
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