VIDEO. “There was a big misunderstanding”: why was Scottie Scheffler, world No.1 golfer, arrested and then released by the police?

The image is surreal. The day has not even broken yet in the Eastern United States in Kentucky, when world number 1 Scottie Scheffler joins a police car accompanied by two members of the police.

All with his hands handcuffed behind his back, in golf attire, as he went to the second round of the second major tournament of the year, the PGA Championship.

Scheffler allegedly refused to stop at a police check

The circumstances of the incident are still a little unclear across the Atlantic but it seems that the American did not stop while a police check was established on the road due to an accident that occurred not far from the race route. Valhalla in Louisville.

A police officer then allegedly tried to hold on to the golfer's car which stopped a few meters away. Before being arrested by American police officers then taken away in an unmarked car, all sirens blaring. “He is going to prison and there is nothing you can do about it”, we can hear from one of the police officers in a video relayed by Jeff Darlington, American journalist at ESPN.

A scene explained by the journalist himself live on television. “He was arrested after bypassing what he thought was security when it was police officers,” he explains. After being handcuffed and directed towards the police car, he was very shocked by what it was happening to me saying, 'Please help me'.”

In an orange prisoner's outfit

Stating that the police did not know at that time that Scheffler was a professional golfer and even less the world number one. Even before the incident, the PGA Championship had announced the postponement of all tee times for more than an hour due to the accident that caused the death of a pedestrian and traffic jams leading to the problem between Scheffler and the police.

Barely an hour after his arrest, the police published on their website the photo of the golfer in an orange prison outfit as he was to take part in the tournament in the morning.

Released two hours after the incident

In an official document, the Texan was, among other things, accused of second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief and dangerous driving. He was later released by police before arriving at the Valhalla clubhouse two hours after his arrest and less than an hour before his initial departure on the course.

A few hours after all these events, Scottie Scheffler wanted to react on his social networks: “This morning, I proceeded according to the instructions of the police. It was a very chaotic situation, understandable given the tragic accident that took place earlier”.

“And there was a big misunderstanding about what I thought I was being asked to do,” he continued. “It was never my intention to ignore any instructions. I hope to put that aside and focus on golf today.”