Scottie Scheffler‘s arrest in the second round certainly caught everyone off guard. It sparked a flurry of surprised reactions within the community. Despite the hiccup, the top-ranked golfer returned to the greens with zeal and determination at 9:12 a.m. on Friday. The incident that left the golfer “rattled” is now over but will surely live in the brains of golf fans as the incident remains a topic of conversation within the community. But with an intriguing twist.
Support for Scheffler was unmistakable as fans wore t-shirts bearing the rallying cry “Free Scottie” around the Valhalla greens. When some fans sought to purchase the merchandise, they discovered glaring differences in pricing for the same items, resulting in a disheartening revelation. When questioned in the parking lot, the t-shirts were priced at $10, but to the surprise of one enthusiast, they found the same merchandise being sold nearby for $20.
This price difference quickly became noticeable, leading to a recommendation for fans to compare prices before making a purchase. Additionally, enthusiasts can ask other fans wearing the t-shirt for further comparison, as nearly half of Valhalla is showing support for the 27-year-old.
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These girls said they bought their shirts in the parking lot. $10. Another guy wearing one offered to sell me his for $20. #Merica pic.twitter.com/sFh9Ut5Gbi
— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) May 17, 2024
Following the arrest, social media was flooded with support. This support escalated when Barstool launched the idea to sell t-shirts, sharing a post on X with the caption, “I roll with my guy.” Shortly after, Barstool’s founder, Dave Portnoy, received significant backing from the community as people began purchasing the t-shirts. Anyone who wishes to wear these T-shirts cant buy it from Barstool. Additionally, many professional golfers such as Min Woo Lee also stepped up in support of the #1 golfer. He wrote on X “#FreeScottie.”
I roll with my guy. #freescottie https://t.co/T4mAfMxmGm pic.twitter.com/B6AELWUzPK
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 17, 2024
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The incident was indeed a confusing one, and somewhat scary too. It was unexpected and left everyone stunned. Later, it was cleared out that it was all a “big misunderstanding.”Scheffler wrote, “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. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions.” However, as calm as he is known to be, it proved right after he reached back to the golf course.
Scottie Scheffler’s calm response to the arrest incident
Upon reaching the greens of Valhalla, the golfer seemed remarkably composed and in high spirits. This was evident when ESPN’s Marty Smith approached him for a comment; Scheffler responded warmly with “Love you, Marty” and engaged in a friendly interaction. Following the conclusion of the second round, Scheffler even exchanged high-fives with a fan wearing his support t-shirt.
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In the post-round conference, Scheffler shared more bits from his day. Everything happened quickly and he had no time to even process what had happened. The officer helped him calm down.“I was pretty rattled, to say the least. The officer that took me to the jail was very kind. He was great. We had a nice chat in the car, that kind of helped calm me down. I was sitting there waiting to kind of go in and I asked him, I was like, Hey, excuse me, can you just come hang out with me for a few minutes so I can calm down. I was never angry.” Talking about what else went down, the 2x Masters winner said that he was just shaking. The officer even offered him a sandwich which he obliged to since he had eaten breakfast at that time.
For more information about the 2024 PGA Championship, you can discover the latest updates on EssentiallySports’s live blog.