LOUISVILLE: Golf world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was handcuffed and taken into custody by police early on Friday, according to video footage and media reports, after allegedly trying to drive around traffic controls outside the PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Scheffler was detained by a Louisville Metro police officer when he attempted to drive around the scene of an accident to get into the golf course, where he was scheduled to compete in the second round of the major tournament Friday morning.
Police were dealing with traffic congestion from an earlier accident that Scheffler was not involved in, according to witnesses and US media reports.
SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio reported Scheffler had been booked into custody by police before 8am while Golf Digest posted on X a photo of Scheffler's mugshot in an orange jumpsuit by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections.
ESPN's Jeff Darlington posted a video on X of Scheffler, wearing shorts and T-shirt, with his hands held behind his back, being led away by police in the pre-dawn incident.
As police lights flashed in the dark, officers shouted at witnesses to stand back, one declaring about Scheffler, "right now, he's going to jail and there's nothing you can do about it."
Darlington said the incident was a misunderstanding over traffic flow and a police officer had screamed at Scheffler to exit his car, then shoved Scheffler against the vehicle and placed him in handcuffs before being helped into the back seats of a police car.
The PGA of America said the second round of the tournament would begin at 8:35am local time (1235 GMT), a delay of 80 minutes from the original start times due to the traffic accident that clogged roads leading to the course.
Rainy conditions soaked the course as players worked on the driving range, preparing for the start of play.
Scheffler, who last month won his second Masters title in three years, had been the feel-good story of the week at Valhalla, hoping to win his third career major title a week after becoming a father for the first time.
His wife, Meredith, gave birth to son Bennett nine days ago.
Scheffler fired a four-under par 67 in Thursday's opening round, topped by an amazing 167-yard, one-bounce eagle from the fairway on the first hole with a 9-iron.
It was uncertain if Scheffler, trying to become the first player since 2015 to win the first two majors in a calendar year, would make his revised start time of 10:08 am off the 10th tee.
The 27-year-old American is playing alongside two other reigning major champions, 2023 US Open winner Wyndham Clark and 2023 British Open winner Brian Harman.
Scheffler has won four of his past five starts, capturing titles at Bay Hill and the Players in March, losing in a playoff at the Houston Open, the winning the Masters and Heritage crowns last month.
He took off the past three weeks to be at home with his wife ahead of their son's birth. - AFP