- Scottie Scheffler was charged with four counts stemming from an incident with a police officer outside of Valhalla Golf Club at the PGA Championship on May 17th.
- Scheffler was charged with a felony assault of a police officer, and three other misdemeanors.
- Prosecutors revealed they didn’t have enough evidence to pursue the case, and the charges have been dismissed with prejudice, which means they can’t be filed again.
The PGA Championship was a strange event for Scottie Scheffler, the #1 player in the world. The 27-year-old finished T8 for the tournament. However, that was far from the story of the week.
Scheffler was arrested outside of Valhalla Golf Club on the morning of Friday, May 17th, around 6:00 AM. A volunteer had been struck and killed by a bus outside the venue, and police were directing traffic. Scheffler, who was slated to tee off that morning, was trying to get inside.
However, in what looks to be a misunderstanding, Scheffler allegedly drove past a police officer and was accused of dragging the officer with his SUV. He was taken into custody in handcuffs, and charged with four counts. One of those counts was a felony assault of a police officer.
Scheffler was released in time to tee off and finish the tournament. Now, it appears this story is done as prosecutors won’t pursue further litigation.
Scheffler Wants Incident Put Behind Him, Prays For Fallen Volunteer
ESPN revealed on Wednesday that the charges against Scheffler were dropped, citing a lack of evidence. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell stated:
"Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler……Mr. Scheffler's characterization that this was a 'big misunderstanding' is corroborated by the evidence."
Scheffler was unaware that there had been a fatal accident at Valhalla, combined with the early morning time, when it was dark and raining. The golfer responded with his own statement in his Instagram story. Scheffler then turned his attention to the death of 69-year-old John Mills.
The case was also dismissed with prejudice, which means Scheffler cannot be charged again for this incident. Officer Gillis was also disciplined for not activating his body camera during his confrontation with Scheffler. However, all parties will now look to put this behind them.
What’s Next For Scheffler?
Scheffler showed up at Valhalla an hour before his tee time and shot a 66. He stumbled to a 73 on Saturday, but rebounded with a 65 to finish T8 at the PGA Championship, which was won by Xander Schauffele.
Scheffler’s hot streak continued with a T2 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, which is played at Colonial Country Club. The #1 golfer in the world lives nearby in Dallas, and wanted to play this tournament badly.
After taking this week off, Scheffler will be back in action at the Memorial, also known as “Jack’s Tournament” after Ohio native and golf legend Jack Nicklaus. It’ll be played at Muirfield Village in Columbus, a course designed by Nicklaus.
Following the Memorial, Scheffler will try to win his second major of the year, after taking the Masters in April. The US Open will be played at Pinehurst #2 in North Carolina. Scheffler is already a resounding favorite at golf betting sites, no matter where he tees it up.
