Imagine you going about your merry day, getting ready for the second round of a major event. In the case of Scottie Scheffler, he had already come off a win in the 2024 Masters Tournament a month ago. He was ready to battle for the PGA Championship. He had an incredible first round and is going to challenge Xander Schauffele for the top spot in the remaining days. Then out of nowhere, reports come in that the world’s no. 1 golfer has been arrested! That would be absurd to hear, wouldn’t it?

Well, if you were one of those fans who first thought that the headlines were fake, then you weren’t the first ones. As the officer in charge stated, “He’s charged with assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic”. As the third episode of season three of Full Swing on Netflix reveals, many of Scheffler’s peers also couldn’t believe the news. Famed reporter, Amanda Balionis confessed, “We all had the same response, at the same time”. And that was “I thought it was fake”, as Rickie Fowler stated. The likes of Tom Kim and Joel Dahmen also reacted similarly.

Speaking about the incident, Justin Thomas was still in bed when the news broke out. So when he did eventually get up, he said “My agent called me (to break the news). So it was a pretty quick wake up, I’d say”. Getting the news of a fellow golfer’s arrest will wake any player up. Even Scheffler’s caddie, Ted Scott couldn’t believe it. He said, “No chance this was real. This has to be some kind of a spoof, or they got the wrong guy”. This coming from the 2024 Masters Tournament winner’s closest associates just shows how surprising it actually was. That’s how ridiculous the reports seemed.

Balionis perfectly described it when she said “I think there was just so much confusion around it because it’s Scottie Scheffler we’re talking about!” as she laughed off at the ludicrous nature of the report. Even Scheffler himself was confused about what was happening as he said “I was freaking out because I somehow went from driving into the golf course to a jail cell, and I still don’t really know how that happened exactly”. Still reliving the moment to this day, world no. 1 stated, “I don’t think it ever really felt real”.

We can’t imagine what must have gone through Scottie Scheffler’s mind after the situation. But his performance in the remaining rounds might indicate something.

Scottie Scheffler’s criminal act on the course

After an impressive start in the first round, Scottie Scheffler was looking to rise up the ranks on Friday. However, the arrest really got to his head as he took his frustration out on the course. Scheffler shot a 5-under 66 in the second round to tie at 4th with Bryson DeChambeau. But things were different once he got the time to reflect on it away from the course.

The rollercoaster ride began in the third round, where Scheffler went 2-over par 73 to end up tied at 24th. He was 8 strokes away from the top of the table which was led by Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele at -15. Despite another valiant effort in the final round, the world no. 1 couldn’t make up the difference as he finished at T8. On any other weekend, Scheffler might have ended up much higher on the leaderboard. But luck was on his side during the 2024 PGA Championship.

Do you think Scottie Scheffler would have won the 2024 PGA Championship if he hadn’t been arrested? Share your views in the comments section.