Eyewitness reveals what police officer ‘yelled’ at Scottie Scheffler before arresting him outside PGA Championship

New details of Scottie Scheffler’s dramatic arrest outside the PGA Championship on Friday morning have emerged from an eyewitness at the scene.

Scheffler was arrested in the early hours before his second round at Valhalla in Kentucky, with stunning images showing him handcuffed as he was taken to jail for not following police orders during a pedestrian fatality investigation.

The 27-year-old was accused of failing to stop for police as he attempted to gain entry at a point when they were managing traffic in the wake of a fatal collision between a bus and a member of the tournament’s security staff, John Mills.

The police report said Scheffler failed to comply with instructions and then drove away from an officer, Bryan Gillis, causing him to be dragged along by the two-time Masters winner’s car.

Louisville Metro Police Department said Scheffler was booked on four charges, including second-degree assault of a police officer. He was set to be arraigned in a Louisville courtroom on Tuesday but that appearance was rescheduled for June 3.

However, fresh details have now come to light from ESPN’s Bob Wischusen, who does play-by-play commentary on the New York Jets during the NFL season.

Wischusen was in the van with Jeff Darlington, whose video of Scheffler being led away into a police car has amassed over 20 million views on social media.

Talking to Golf.com, Wischusen claims Gillis was ‘pretty, you know, enthusiastic’ as he walked up to Scheffler’s vehicle and beamed his flashlight into the golfer’s face.

Wischusen then claims Gillis screamed at Scheffler, saying words to the effect of: ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, who are you? Where are you going? Get back in line. You’re not allowed to come through here.’ 

Gillis was ‘scolding’ Scheffler for passing the vehicle Wischusen and the ESPN crew were in and it was unclear whether he was a police officer or tournament security because of their yellow reflective jackets.

After Scheffler drove forward, the situation then escalated and Gillis ‘got very angry pursuing the car.’

Wischusen claims the officer was ‘kind of running alongside chasing the car, and maybe he tripped and fell.  

He added: ‘I mean, there was kind of an outcropping or median, you know, by the front gate. And keep in mind, it was raining. It was 6 o’clock in the morning. It was dark.’

Asked about the claims of Gillis ‘attaching’ himself to the car, Wischusen said: ‘I could see him stumble, but I did not have a very clear view of exactly how you want to categorize his contact with the car.’

‘The internal investigation is still ongoing,’ a Louisville Police Department statement read Tuesday, from Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.

‘Any policy violations that are revealed through the course of the investigation will be appropriately addressed according to LMPD’s disciplinary protocol. The department intends to provide an additional update on the investigation on Thursday, May 23, 2024.’ 

Scheffler got out of jail and to the course in time to play the second round and shot a 66. 

However, he fell out of contention for the tournament with a 73 on Saturday – his first round over par since last August. He closed with a 65, tying for eighth place.