What Scottie Scheffler Really Thought Of His Jail Stint, According To An Inmate

On May 17, Scottie Scheffler was gearing up for the PGA Championship but somehow found himself in jail, which he reportedly was not happy about. The golfer attempted to enter the Valhalla Golf Club to prepare for the tournament when he misunderstood the instructions of a police officer directing traffic, ESPN reported. Earlier that morning, a man had been fatally hit by a shuttle bus, resulting in a roadblock. Scheffler attempted to drive around the accident site but didn't heed the officer's warning to stop and unknowingly dragged him a few yards. The PGA star was arrested on four charges, including second-degree assault of a police officer, which Scheffler insisted was a misunderstanding. The pro golfer's attorney stated, "[Scheffler] was unaware there had been a wreck, and he proceeded like they'd been instructed to. He did exactly as he was instructed to enter the premises."

A fellow lawbreaker, who didn't realize who he was jailed with, was told by a cop, "You know you're talking to the number one golfer in the world, right?" per TMZ Sports. According to the inmate, Scheffler didn't take too well to being behind bars and reported, "He kept saying it was bulls*** that he was there." As far as jail experiences go, Scheffler's wasn't too horrible, and he even got to prep for the PGA Championship in his cell.

Although Scottie Scheffler had no idea if he would make the PGA Championship tee time, he spent his time in jail warming up. As reported by the BBC, he stated, "I feel like my head is still spinning. I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell — that was a first for me." Scheffler shared that he saw on the television that the start time had been delayed and stated, "I was thinking about my tee time and whether I might be able to get out so I started going through my routine." The two-time Masters Tournament winner was pretty shaken up by the events but he credited the police officers for calming him down. "A couple of them inside made some jokes when they figured out who I was and how I ended up there," he shared.

Scheffler even got a meal out of his arrest, per CNN. An officer asked him, "So do you want the full experience today?" Scheffler had no idea what that meant and the cop clarified, "Come on man, you want a sandwich?" The golfer, who had yet to eat that morning, accepted. "I definitely never imagined ever going to jail, and I definitely never imagined going to jail the morning before one of my tee times for sure," he later told the media. It turned out that Scheffler only spent about an hour and a half in jail and was miraculously able to make the PGA Championship with time to spare.

Making the headlines for being arrested was probably not on Scottie Scheffler's 2024 bingo card but he had his fans' full support. When he made his 10:08 tee time on May 17, he was greeted with the crowd chanting, "Free Scottie!" the Washington Post reported. Somehow, fans were able to acquire his mugshot and quickly make t-shirts out of it, proudly displaying Scheffler wearing an orange v-neck jail uniform. Shirts with the words "Free Scottie" were also being sold for $20. "We're here supporting Scottie. We are not here to do anything else. We are here to support him and everything. He is probably the most humble man on Tour, that I think the Tour has seen in a long time, and he has incredible morals," a Scheffler fan stated.

Unfortunately, Scheffler was not this year's PGA Championship winner, coming in at eighth place after his last game on the 19th. The prior day, he told CBS, "I was definitely not feeling like myself today, for sure. Yesterday happened, and I did my best to recover from it, and come out here and compete today. I did a great job yesterday of coming out and competing, riding the adrenaline. This morning was definitely not my usual routine for a round if that makes sense." Scheffler's arraignment is scheduled for May 21 and according to Kevin Van Valkenburg of No Laying Up, the charges are expected to be dropped.