Scottie Scheffler's mugshot Scottie Scheffler’s mugshot (via Golf.com)

At this point, there is plenty that remains unclear when it comes to Scottie Scheffler getting detained by police ahead of the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship in Louisville on Friday.

But at this point, this is what we do know: the world’s No. 1 golfer was arrested. With a mugshot and everything.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday morning and was strangely enough captured by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who was entering — or attempting to enter — the tournament. According to Darlington,

“Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police officers, placed in the back of a police vehicle in handcuffs after he tried to pull around what he believed to be security, ended up being police officers. They told him to stop,” Darlington explained on SportsCenter. “When he didn’t stop, the police officer attached himself to the vehicle. Scheffler then traveled another 10 yards before stopping the car. The police officer then grabbed at his arm attempting to pull him out of the car before Scheffler eventually opened the door. At which point the police officer pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him up against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. Scheffler was then walked over to the police car, placed in the back in handcuffs.

“Very stunned about what was happening. Looked toward me as he was in those handcuffs and said, ‘Please help me.’ He very clearly did not know what was happening in the situation. It moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively. He was detained in that police vehicle for approximately 20 minutes. The police officers at that point did not understand that Scottie Scheffler was a golfer in the tournament, nor of course, that he is the No. 1 player in the world.”

Less than two hours after Darlington first reported on Scheffler being detained, the situation got even more surreal as screenshots of his new police record began to pop up on social media. According to Golf Digest, the 27-year-old two-time Masters champion has officially been charged with the following:

  • 2nd degree assault of a police officer
  • 3rd degree criminal mischief
  • Reckless driving
  • Disregarding signals from officers directing traffic

The entire situation was made even more bizarre by the appearance of a mugshot, which featured a bearded Scheffler with the slightest of smirks. It didn’t take long for the mugshot to go viral and cement its status as one of the most iconic in sports history.

As for what’s next, ESPN is reporting that Scheffler has departed the police station and is en route to Valhalla Golf Club, where he is scheduled to tee off at 10:08 a.m. It will certainly be interesting to see how golf’s new bad boy performs, considering the circumstances.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.