BREAKING: Scottie Scheffler sue’s Louisville PD for PGA Championship arrest
Scottie Scheffler has spoken to the media for the first time since charges stemming from his arrest at the PGA Championship were dropped, revealing he was prepared to sue Louisville Police Department
Scottie Scheffler has admitted he and his lawyer were prepared to take legal action against police if charges following his arrest at the PGA Championship were not dropped.
The professional golf world was left stunned when Scheffler was arrested and charged with numerous offences on the second morning of the tournament last month. A fatal accident claimed the life of 69-year-old tournament volunteer John Mills outside the entrance to Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky, leading to huge traffic issues in the area.
World number one Scheffler was accused of driving around the jam and ignoring police instructions as he attempted to enter the golf course. Louisville Police Department officer Bryan Gillis claimed he was dragged along the road by Scheffler’s car, causing pain, swelling and abrasions to his left knee and wrist.
Scheffler was taken downtown and booked on charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. By the time he made it back to the course just minutes before his tee time, a mugshot of Scheffler had circulated around the world.
The 27-year-old dusted himself down and shot a stellar round of five-under-par to move into contention, only for a poor third round to see him fall away. But more importantly, Scheffler believed the charges were bogus and he would have no case to answer.
The charges were duly dropped on May 30 to Scheffler’s relief, and he admitted in his press conference ahead of The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio that he and his lawyer, Steve Romines, were prepared to take legal action against Louisville PD if the case was taken forward.
“That was something that if we needed to use it, I think Steve was more than ready to use that, just because, like I said, there was a ton of evidence in our favour,” Scheffler said. “There were 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… 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.
“But at the end of the day, I did not want to have to pursue legal action against Louisville because 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.”
Scheffler skipped the Canadian Open last week to spend time at home with his wife, Meredith, and their newborn son, Bennett, but the reigning Masters champion and runaway FedEx Cup leader is the overwhelming favourite with the oddsmakers heading to Muirfield Village.
