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Image Courtesy: IMAGO
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/Scottie-Scheffler-Xander-Schauffele-Collage.png?width=600)
via Imago
Image Courtesy: IMAGO
Xander Schauffele secured his first major win this year at the PGA Championship, but another name dominated headlines: Scottie Scheffler. The surprise arrest of the #1 golfer before the second round stunned the community. The pros might not have addressed the incident during the tournament. Were they unaware of it? Did they want no contact with the news? Did they talk to the golfer personally? They certainly did, but not to offer condolences.
Not only did the PGA Tour pros know about the shocking arrest, but they also poked fun at him. Recently, Barstool Sports released a video on X, featuring the 2024 PGA Champion, Xander Schauffele. In the video, the golfer was asked, “Did you have a chance to talk to Scottie at any point this weekend?” As it turned out, the 30-year-old disclosed, “We have a group chat with our physio, our team, me, Gary, J.T., Jordan, Scottie, Pat—we all share the same physio, so the boys were heckling Scottie a little bit.” This revelation from Schauffele highlighted how Scheffler became the target of jokes within the group.
The 1x major championship also joked about how they put his mug shot as the display picture of their group. Despite joking about his arrest, the 30-year-old also expressed his trust, stating, “He handled it really well in Scottie Scheffler fashion. I mean, he’s a good dude.” While praising the apex golfer, Schauffele also conveyed his confidence, saying, “It feels like he’s going to come out okay from all this. It feels like things are going to get dropped.”
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Xander Schauffele and the boys roasted Scottie Scheffler in the group chat with his mug shot @XSchauffele @PardonMyTake pic.twitter.com/U2rW5DdGMH
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 22, 2024
The arrest was a big misunderstanding, as the golfer later clarified. ESPN’s play-by-play announcer, Bob Wischusen, later came forward as an eyewitness to the situation. Wischusen noted the officer (Bryan Gillis) “kind of jumped in front” of the golfer’s car. “He was pretty, you know, enthusiastic, let’s say.” Scheffler, apparently acting in another officer’s direction, slowly started pulling away. “When [Scheffler] drove past him, the cop got very angry pursuing the car. … My impression was he was kind of running alongside chasing the car, and maybe he tripped and fell.” The police report says Gillis was dragged by Scheffler’s car, causing injuries to his wrist and knees, but the investigation continues.
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Scottie Scheffler’s case is to be investigated again
Louisville’s mayor recently disclosed to Golf Digest that the investigation is still ongoing, with both the golfer and the arresting officer set to be reinvestigated. This decision comes after Craig Greenberg, the mayor, noted that the officer’s body camera was not activated during the arrest. It is a crucial rule for officers to activate their body cameras before engaging in all law enforcement activities and encounters.
“I think that’s critically important that we do that, not just in high-profile events like [those] took place on Friday but on a regular basis. And if policies are not being followed, there will be transparency about that. There will be action taken,” Greenberg said. “From my understanding, based on the facts I am aware of right now, I understand why body cam may not have been turned on at the initial contact between Officer Gillis and Mr. Scheffler,” Greenberg said on Tuesday. “I still have questions about why it was not on during Mr. Scheffler’s arrest.”
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The mayor also noted that Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel would address the issue later in the week. This includes determining if the Professional Standards Unit investigation, responsible for probing policy breaches, will be involved. The investigation becomes crucial as the golfer was slapped with four grave charges: second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer.
With all the factors surrounding further investigation, Scottie Scheffler’s arraignment has been rescheduled to June 3 from May 21 at 9 a.m. ET. Do you believe the #1 golfer will emerge unscathed from this incident? Share your thoughts in the comments below!