Scottie Scheffler was put through the process at a Louisville police station. Image courtesy Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections.
By Rahul Banerji
The arrest and subsequent release of hot favourite Scottie Scheffler, as he tried to drive past an unrelated traffic accident outside Valhalla Golf Club on Friday morning, took away attention from a fiery opening round by Xander Schauffele.
The Tokyo Olympic champion led the 106th PGA Championship field by three strokes after carding a bogey-free and record-setting 9 under par 62 on Thursday though the talk of the town was world number one Scheffler and his travails.
A contract worker was run over by a ferry bus outside the event venue early on Friday and Scheffler was taken into custody and handcuffed when he misunderstood instructions at a police roadblock at the site.
The world number one was charged on four counts by the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department and processed by its Department of Corrections before being released.
In a statement, Scheffler said, “This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I that I was being asked to do.
“I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.
“Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective”
In handcuffs
An ESPN reporter on the spot said Scheffler crossed a police roadblock at the site of the mishap at the club gate but was pulled over and put in handcuffs before being taken away. The accident delayed the second day’s proceedings by an hour and 20 minutes.
Masters champion Scheffler, was charged on four counts, reports said, including “second degree assault of a police officer”, and “reckless driving”.
He, however, was able to make his rescheduled start alongside Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman, birdieing his first hole on Friday.
All that overshadowed Schauffele’s round, which was the best first-round score at the PGA Championship.
It was also the joint best 18-hole score at a major which he carded at last year’s US Open and co-holds with Branden Grace of South Africa (The Open, 2017) and fellow American Rickie Fowler (US Open, 2023).
Thursday’s round gave Schauffele a three-stroke lead over Sahith Theegala, Mark Hubbard and Tony Finau with seven players including world number two Rory McIlroy and Korea’s Joohyung ‘Tom’ Kim sharing fifth place.
Scoring chances
Indian-American Theegala said on Thursday, “I played really well. Didn’t hit the ball exceptionally … but my short game, which I’ve struggled with a little bit this year, really came in clutch and kind of was my old self around the greens.
“Hit a lot of great pitches close to the hole. The soft greens definitely helped. Git a lot of putts to drop on the back nine which is always a bonus.”
“I’ll take 62 in a major any day,” Schauffele told pgatour.com after his first round.
“It’s a great start to a big tournament. One I’m obviously always going to take. I think I look at every tough spot now as another opportunity, try to flip it into a positive and make myself want to earn it versus getting scared of the moment.
“I have been putting myself in some really good spots, I’ve been playing really good golf and there are obviously times when you’ll get a little uncomfortable,” added the California golfer who lost out to a hard-charging McIlroy last week at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Opening on the back nine, Scheuffele sank five birdies before the turn and added four more on his second nine. Nine pars in between helped the seven-time PGA Tour winner to the largest 18-hole lead at the PGA Championship after Dick Hart (1963), Bobby Nichols (1964) and Raymond Floyd (1982).
Nichols and Floyd went on to win in those years.
Opening eagle
Behind the leaders, defending champion Brooks Koepka was tied 12th on 4 under 67 along with Scheffler and four others. Scheffler’s first round included a 167-yard chip-in eagle on the par-4 first hole, four birdies and two dropped shots.
Three-time PGA Tour winner Kim equalled his career best round at a major with his 66 in a season that has so far gone without a top-10 from 13 starts.
“I played really nice, really solid. Just to kind of get things going, second major championship of the year, and definitely put myself in a good position and just going through the same game plan for tomorrow,” said Kim, the top Asian so far at the year’s second major.
Making his debut at a major, fellow Korean S.H. Kim had a 69 while 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama of Japan was the only other from Asia to break with a 70. Byeong Hun An had a level par 71.
Late blip
Tiger Woods closed the day bogey-bogey for a 1 over 72, 10 shots behind the leader. It was his best start at a major since the 2022 Masters when he opened with a 1-under 71.
The 15-time major winner said on pgatour.com later, “It took me probably three holes to get back into competitive flow again and get a feel for hitting the ball out there in competition, adrenaline, temperatures, green speeds.
“These are all things that normally I adjust to very quickly, and it just took me a few holes to get into it.
“I am getting stronger for sure … Each day is a little bit different. Some days, it’s better than others. It’s just the way it is. My body is just that way. Some days, it feels great, and other days, a bit of a struggle.”
In all, a record 64 players were under par after the first round at the PGA Championship against the 60 recorded in 2006 at the Medinah Country Club, an indication of the soft and receptive greens.
Also read: Scheffler, McIlroy are the hottest picks for PGA Championship
Discover more from Tee Time Tales
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.