How has Scottie Scheffler played at the PGA Championship after his arrest?
The surprising arrest of golf’s No. 1 player appears to have had no effect on his game. Indeed, the American was back to his best shortly after.
There’s something that’s movie-worthy about the last 24 hours of Scottie Scheffler’s life. While there have been other golfers who were arrested before, there’s never been one who was detained by law enforcement officials, released, and still had time to make it back to the course to make his tee time, after which he didn’t just participate, he impressed.
Scottie Scheffler’s birdie after his arrest is just silly
As you surely know by now, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was arrested for a vehicular offense as he tried to enter the Valhalla Golf Club following a separate accident that involved a shuttle bus and resulted in the death of a man. Indeed, the accident resulted in the delay of the start of the second round of the PGA Championship in which Scheffler is currently participating.
Yet, it’s got to be said, that Scheffler responded to his arrest in what can only be described as an epic way. Just one hour after returning to the clubhouse following his detainment, the 27-year-old took to the course and proceeded to do what he does best. To be clear, Scheffler walked to the 10th tee - his first of the day - and under the cover of a large black umbrella proceeded to speak through his play rather than his words. Not known for being an expressive individual, Scheffler put aside his felony charge and focused on his game in impressive fashion.
What made the moment even better was the response of fans who chanted “SCOT-TIE! SCOT-TIE!” as he began his session. For his part, Scheffler looked at his notes, rolled his ball and tee around in his hand, and went to work. Where the specifics are concerned, he was the third of his group to tee off following starts by Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman. On the fairway, he started with a 298-yard drive to which fans responded with intense cheers. How did Scheffler respond? with a brief motion of his hand in acknowledgment, clearly preferring to focus on the challenge ahead. That’s where Scheffler showed his class and his well-known ability to shut out the noise. Just two strokes later, with his approach from 92 yards out sitting a mere three feet from the hole, golf’s best player rolled in the birdie putt to close to within four strokes of leader Xander Schauffele. Following the put, he simply walked away and that was that. What we’re saying is, keep an eye on Scottie because this has the makings of something special.