Even with his name now cleared, Scottie Scheffler will never forget the “traumatic” morning of May 17 when police arrested him en route to the PGA Championship.
“I definitely hadn’t moved past it,” Scheffler said Tuesday in his first press conference since the four charges against him were dropped. “I would say that I still, you know, wouldn’t have a hundred percent moved past it because, yeah, the charges are dropped, but I still — now it’s almost more appropriate for people to ask me about it and ask me about the situation and, to be honest with you, it’s not something that I love reliving, just because it was fairly traumatic for me being arrested going into the golf course.
“It’s not something that I love talking about and it’s something that I’m hoping to move past, but when the charges are dropped, that’s kind of only the beginning of kind of getting past it, if that makes sense. So kind of operating through that now. It was definitely a bit of a relief, but not total relief because that’s something that will always, I think, kind of stick with me.”
Scheffler initially addressed the charges being dropped on May 29 with a short statement, but Tuesday brought more questions while he prepared for the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.
The 27-year-old’s world was turned upside down on the morning of May 17 when he was arrested outside of Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., while trying to enter the course for the second day of the PGA Championship.
A misunderstanding, influenced by a fatal accident outside the club, resulted in him being arrested and charged with second-degree assault of an officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from (an) officer directing traffic.
Scheffer was released before he teed off that Friday and finished the tournament tied for eighth with a 13-under par.
Jefferson County attorney Mike O’Connell filed a motion to drop the charges, stating Scheffler’s view that the situation was a “big misunderstanding” was “corroborated by the evidence.”
Both sides agreed to pursue no further legal action.
Scheffler said Tuesday he considered potential legal action against the Louisville Police Department if they proceeded with the charges.
“That was something that if we needed to use it, I think (lawyer) Steve (Romines) was more than ready to use that, just because, like I said, there was a ton of evidence in our favor,” Scheffler said, according to Outkick. “There was eyewitnesses on the scene that corroborated my story and the video evidence, the police officer talking to me after. All the evidence pointed to exactly what my side of the story was, and so if we needed to, if it — if I kind of became, like — I don’t really know how to describe it, but basically, if I had to show up in court, I think Steve was more than prepared to pursue legal action.”
“I did not want to have to pursue legal action against Louisville because at the end of the day, the people of Louisville are then going to have to pay for the mistakes of their police department, and that just doesn’t seem right. So at no point did I ever want to sue them, but if it came there, I think my lawyer was more than prepared to use that as more of like a bargaining chip-type thing more than anything.”
At least one element of that day, though, allows Scheffler to smile.
“That mug shot, I’m sure, is not going anywhere anytime soon,” Scheffler said.
The world’s No. 1 golfer will compete at this week’s Memorial Tournament before pursuing his third major win at the U.S. Open beginning Thursday, June 13.
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