Golfing world number one and Christian, Scottie Scheffler, has been arrested for assaulting a police officer, but his lawyer insists it was all a “misunderstanding”.
The new father and two times Masters winner, who famously credits his success to faith in Christ, was taken to a Louisiana police station after the incident at the entrance to Valhalla golf club.
A roadblock was in place on Friday at 6am after a fatal collision between a golf club worker and a bus, and police were directing traffic. Scheffler was arrested on four counts, including allegedly failing to stop.
The 27-year-old had been due to tee off at the US PGA championship before 9am, although the day’s play was put back due to the fatality.
He is due in court this week.
Scheffler’s lawyer Steve Romines has insisted that his client did nothing wrong.
He said: “There had been a traffic fatality down the road and so there were different traffic directions going on and traffic control officers were advising different things. Scottie was advised by one officer to go around the traffic and turn left into the facility.
“But the officer who charged him obviously didn't know that. So, that's where the miscommunication occurred.
“It was kind of a perfect storm. One thing needs to be clear — he didn't drive through any accident scene, or through any investigation. None of that happened.”
The officer who collided with Scheffler’s car reportedly suffered “pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist and knee”. His trousers had also been damaged “beyond repair”, police said.
Scheffler commended the police the same day he was arrested and offered his condolences to the family of the man who had died.
