Scottie Scheffler calls arrest 'just a big misunderstanding,' offers condolences to family of man killed in earlier accident

Scottie Scheffler, the current No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, spent a brief bit of his Friday morning in a Louisville jail cell after an incident where he apparently injured a police officer with his car. But he didn’t think all the attention should be on him.

Scheffler’s incident with a Louisville police officer was borne out of traffic being backed up due to the death of a man working for a vendor at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. That man, John Mills, was apparently killed by a vehicle in the early morning hours. Traffic was diverted as first responders attended to the scene, and in that alteration of protocol, Scheffler — and his vehicle — got tangled up with the officer.

Speaking at a press conference after his Friday round, Scheffler first offered condolences to the deceased and his family.

“First of all, you know my sympathies go out to the family of Mr. Mills,” Scheffler said. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through this morning. You know, one day he’s heading to the golf course to watch a tournament and, you know, a few moments later he’s trying to cross the street and now he’s no longer with us. So, I can’t can’t imagine what they’re going through. My heart, you know, I feel for them. I’m sorry. My situation will get handled. It was just a — it was a chaotic situation and a big, big misunderstanding. I can’t comment on any of the specifics of it. So, I feel like you all are gonna be disappointed but, can’t comment on any specifics, but my situation will be handled. It was just a — just a big misunderstanding.”

Scheffler’s lawyer explained the incident earlier in the day

Following Scottie Scheffler’s arrest and subsequent release from the Louisville Police Department, the PGA tour golfer’s lawyer is speaking out about what happened in the early hours of Friday morning. Arrested outside of the Valhalla Golf Club, Scheffler had what his lawyer describes as a miscommunication with the officer directing traffic. According to Steve Romines, the golfer pulled out his credential to go around the traffic caused by a pedestrian fatality on the road an hour before, but the miscommunication led to the incident between Scheffler and an officer.

“He was going into Valhalla to work out and get ready for his tee time,” Romines explained on Friday morning. “They were directing traffic. He held his media credential out and was going in like they’d been instructed to and apparently, there had been a traffic accident or maybe even a fatality down the road, and that it changed the traffic patterns. And he was unaware of that. I think the officer that was directing traffic was maybe not part of the event traffic detail. And so that’s where the miscommunication arose.”

“They are allowed to go through,” Romines added. “That’s why they have the credentials. They’re waived through. So, unaware that there had been a wreck, they proceeded like they had been instructed to.”

Following his early Friday morning arrest, cameras snagged Scheffler entering the club shortly prior to his 10:08 a.m. ET tee time. Valhalla Golf Club owner Jimmy Kirchdorfer picked the former Texas star up from jail and rode with him to the course. Scheffler proceeded to the players’ locker room and then went out to the driving range to prepare for his tee-off.