Golf Star Scottie Scheffler Detained at PGA Championship After Traffic Incident

Reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged on Friday after allegedly failing to follow police orders near Valhalla Golf Club, where the PGA Championship is being held.

Reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler's hopes of winning his first PGA Championship got off to a rough start on Friday after he was detained and charged following an incident with police.

According to reports, Scheffler drove past a police officer in his SUV, which was marked with PGA Championship signage, near Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The officer attempted to stop him, but Scheffler continued driving for a short distance before finally stopping.

Scheffler was then taken into custody and charged with second-degree assault of a police officer (a felony), criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.

ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, described it as a "misunderstanding with traffic flow" as authorities were investigating a traffic fatality earlier in the morning.

"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,’” Darlington said on ESPN’s "SportsCenter." "He very clearly did not know what was happening in the situation. It moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively."

Scheffler, who was coming off four victories in the last five tournaments, released a statement saying that he had been following police directions when the incident occurred.

"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," he said. "I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today."

Scheffler was later released from jail and allowed to participate in the second round of the PGA Championship. He arrived back on the course at around 9:12 a.m. ET and told Rickie Fowler, "All good," as he made his way to the driving range.

Despite the distraction, Scheffler remained in contention for the championship. He was tied for 28th place after the second round, just seven strokes off the lead.