Scottie Scheffler shook off an early-morning arrest and police altercation to move into contention at a rainy PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky where he finished two shots behind second-round clubhouse leader Collin Morikawa.
On a day unlike any other in his career, world number one Scheffler was arrested on four charges, including second degree assault of a police officer, after what he said was a "big misunderstanding" as he tried to enter Valhalla Golf Club.
Scheffler, seeking his fifth win in six starts, shot a five-under-par 67 to get to nine under and hot on the heels of Morikawa (66).
"My situation will get handled. It was a chaotic situation and a big misunderstanding. I can't really get into the specifics of it. I know ya'll will be disappointed with that," Scheffler told reporters after his second round.
"I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me. I still feel like my head is spinning a bit."
"I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell, that was a first for me."
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Scottie Scheffler comments on his morning before the second round. pic.twitter.com/41HrVBKL5v
Scheffler, known for his unflappable temperament, said the officer who took him to jail, where he was pictured in an orange jumpsuit for his mug shot, was kind and credited the talk they had in the car for helping him to calm him down.
While in jail, Scheffler said he could see images of himself from the morning incident on a nearby TV, and did all he could to get his heart rate down.
"My main focus after getting arrested was wondering if I could be able to come back out here and play, and fortunately I was able to do that," said Scheffler. "It was nice to put together a solid round today for sure."
According to the police report, Scheffler was heading eastbound to gain access to the course in Louisville, Kentucky and pulled into the westbound lanes, where outbound traffic was flowing, to avoid backed-up vehicles.
The report said the officer stopped Scheffler, who was in a marked player-courtesy vehicle, but that the golfer refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging the officer to the ground.
"It was just a huge misunderstanding this morning. That'll get resolved I think fairly quickly," said Scheffler.
"I came here for a golf tournament. I was driving in this morning, trying to get to my warmup time and get ready for the round of golf. I didn't really have an understanding of what had transpired this morning."
The start of play was delayed following an accident in which a pedestrian died after being struck by a shuttle bus, according to Louisville Metro Police Department.
Scheffler was attempting to get to the course to prepare for his round when he was detained.
A mugshot of Scheffler was later released by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections, which later showed he had been released after an hour and 12 minutes.
Scheffler was seen arriving at the course just after 9am local time.
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ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, said on air: "Traffic had been backed up and building, Scottie Scheffler tried to enter Valhalla Golf Club using a side median, at which point a police officer instructed him to stop.
"Scheffler attempted to continue to go, the police officer then attached himself to the side of Scheffler's car.
"Scheffler stopped the vehicle as he turned into Valhalla Golf Club at the entrance, about 10 to 20 yards from the point at which the police officer first told him to stop.
"At that point the police officer instructed Scheffler to get out of the car.
"He rolled down the window, the police officer grabbed his arm and started pulling at it. He reached inside, opened the car door, pulled Scheffler out, pushed him up against the car, immediately placed him in handcuffs."
Scheffler released a statement to Darlington regarding the incident, describing it as a "big misunderstanding".
The statement read: "This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I'm hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.
"Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective."LMPD had earlier released a statement on the traffic accident."
In its own statement, the US PGA has confirmed that the individual who died in the accident was working at the tournament.
"This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club," the statement read. "This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones."
LMPD had earlier released a statement on the traffic accident.
"About 5.00 this morning, the LMPD responded to a call of a vehicle collision involving a pedestrian and a bus," the statement read.
"Our preliminary investigation found that an adult male pedestrian was crossing Shelbyville Road south to north when he was struck by a shuttle bus that was travelling eastbound in the compulsory centre lane dedicated for buses.
"As a result, the pedestrian received fatal injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene. The LMPD Traffic Unit is investigating."
