Golfer Scottie Scheffler Says His Head 'Is Still Spinning' After Arrest

Pro golfer Scottie Scheffler is still processing his Friday, May 17, arrest.

“I feel like my head is still spinning. I can’t really explain what happened this morning,” Scheffler, 27, said during a Friday press conference after he competed in the second round of the PGA Championship. “I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me. That was part of my warmup. I was just sitting there waiting and I started going through my warmup, I felt like there was a chance I may be able to still come out here and play.”

Us Weekly confirmed that Scheffler had been arrested by Louisville Metro Police on Friday morning after he drove onto the Valhalla Golf Club lot for the tournament. According to ESPN, the pro athlete had allegedly disregarded a local police officer’s request to stop driving. The streets around Valhalla had been temporarily closed after a fatal car accident at 5 a.m. between a pedestrian and a shuttle bus.

Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals at the Kentucky police station. He was later released and made it back to the PGA Championship in time to tee off. (Scheffler has said in a social media statement released before his tee time that the incident was a “misunderstanding.”)

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“It probably took a few holes to feel normal. Obviously, I didn’t have my normal warmup and I usually stick to my routine,” Scheffler recalled to reporters. “I’m a big routine guy, especially when it comes to my preparation. But it took a few holes to settle in. It was kind of nice just to be out there inside the ropes competing. It’s one of my favorite things in the world to do, so I was fortunate to be able to come out here and do it again today.”

While it took a moment for Scheffler to focus his energy on golf, he was admittedly “rattled” at the start.

“I was pretty rattled to say the least. The officer that took me to the jail was very kind. He was great. We had a nice chat in the car, that kind of helped calm me down,” the Masters champ recalled during the press conference. “I was sitting there waiting to kind of go in and I asked him, I was like, ‘Hey, excuse me, can you just come hang out with me for a few minutes so I can calm down.’ I was never angry. I was just in shock, and I think my body was just — I was shaking the whole time. I was shaking for like an hour. It was definitely a new feeling for me.”

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After Friday’s rounds, Scheffler tied for fourth place and is looking forward to hitting the green on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19.

“I’m going to do my best to continue to calm down from this morning, continue to get my heart rate down, and yeah, get ready for a long weekend,” Scheffler added to reporters, noting he would go back to his “normal routine” for the rest of the tournament.

An arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21, at 9 a.m. ET.