In one of the most shocking series of events in sporting history, Scottie Scheffler found himself sitting in a jail cell during PGA Championship at Valhalla.
The four-time major winner attempted to get around a traffic jam caused by a fatal accident outside the golf club at 6 am in an attempt to make his second round tee time, and was charged by the police.
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Prosecutors subsequently agreed to drop all charges against Scheffler, but that wasn’t until after the tournament. He was able to make his tee time after a delay to play, and he carded a 66 on his way to an impressive eighth-place finish, given the circumstances.
It was one of the craziest episodes golf has ever seen, and the response Scheffler received when he returned to the course was emphatic. So much so, that it shocked the American superstar.
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
How fans ‘confused’ Scottie Scheffler after he was released from jail
Scheffler opened up about his jail experience on Bob Does Sports’ YouTube channel and revealed when he first realised that this would become a big story.
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He said, “So, when I was sitting in the cell, they put me in a holding cell, I think. And so, I’m in a cell by myself, and that was the cell that I stretched in. But like if you went to the front of the cell and like looked out that way, I could see a TV, and I saw myself on the TV.
“So that’s when I was like, ‘Holy smokes.’ My head’s still spinning. I’m like, “How the heck am I in here?” But then I saw myself on the TV, and then I saw they delayed it, and I was like, “Oh, maybe I’ll get out of here in time, and I can still play.’”
When Scheffler eventually got out of jail, he was met with an incredible response. Fans were wearing T-shirts that read “Free Scottie”, and gave him the reception of his life.
The world number one admitted that he was shocked by this greeting from the fans: “Those were pretty cool. You know, we do everything. I do a quick stretch, go to the tee. And the reception I got to the like when I got to the 10th tee was amazing.
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“Like people were going nuts and I was like was just very confused. People on the tee, they went crazy. It’s like one of the loudest receptions I ever got. Like I was in jail 30 minutes ago.”
It’s a story that will likely never be forgotten in golf history.
How Scottie Scheffler got on in his opening round at Pebble Beach
Scheffler is playing at the Pebble Beach pro-am this week and has continued a concerning trend. As he did at the WM Phoenix Open last week, Scheffler shot over par on his opening round.
He was able to recover in Phoenix, amazingly finishing just one stroke behind the leaders after a resurgent three days. But Pebble is an entirely different prospect.
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It’s a US Open course, and one of the most iconic locations in golf, and a stacked field has turned up in California to contest Rory McIlroy’s title from 2025.
It’s going to be far more difficult for Scheffler to get back in the tournament this week, so he needs to correct this trend going into the rest of the year if he wants to continue his red-hot form.
Read the full article here
