An attorney for golfer Scottie Scheffler said a “miscommunication” led to the arrest of the sport’s number one player early on Friday morning in Kentucky just hours before his scheduled tee time.
Scheffler, 27, was arrested around 7 a.m. outside the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville and charged with a felony and several misdemeanors.
He was booked into jail and released a few hours later after posting no bond.
Attorney Steve Romines, who will represent the golfer in the case, spoke to the media after his client’s release from jail and said that the officer who arrested Scheffler was not aware he had previously been told to bypass traffic and enter the club gate with a media pass.
“I think the officer that was directing traffic was maybe not part of the event traffic detail, and so that’s where the miscommunication arose and that’s why we’re here,” Romines told reporters. “He held his media credential out and was going in like they’d been instructed to.”
Unaware of the deadly accident, Scheffler bypassed traffic and traffic officers like usual, his lawyer said.
“They are allowed to go through, that’s why they have the credentials, it’s their way through,” Romines told the outlet. “Unaware that there had been a wreck, he proceeded like they’d been instructed to.”
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The arresting officer accused Scheffler of dragging him with his car and refusing to comply with orders.
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Romines said that was not what happened.
“He did exactly as he was instructed to do to enter the premises,” the attorney said.
The arresting officer claimed to have suffered “swelling” and “abrasions” to his knee and wrist and would need to replace his pants, which were damaged.
In Romines’ full statement, he told WHAS-TV:
“In the early hours of the morning in preparation of his tee time, Scottie was going to the course to begin his pre-round preparation. Due to the combination of event traffic and a traffic fatality in the area, it was a very chaotic situation.
“He was proceeding as directed by another traffic officer and driving a marked player’s vehicle with credentials visible. In the confusion, Scottie is alleged to have disregarded a different officer’s traffic signals resulting in these charges. Multiple eyewitnesses have confirmed that he did not do anything wrong but was simply proceeding as directed.”
The attorney concluded, “He stopped immediately upon being directed to and never at any point assaulted any officer with his vehicle. We will plead not guilty and litigate this matter as needed.”
Scheffler was charged with felony second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
Romines vowed to fight the charges in a courtroom if they stand.
In a statement of his own before he teed off for the second day of the PGA Championship, Scheffler said, “I never intended to disregard any of the instructions … I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.”
He also expressed his condolences to the family of the man who had died outside of the golf club and said he had no idea there had been an incident when he arrived.
