Blake Davis
A stressful Friday morning turned into a free second round for Scottie Scheffler at the 2024 PGA Championship. Following your morning arrest and subsequent release after a traffic incidentthe world number 1 raced back to Valhalla Golf Club to make his tee time and cement his place as a contender in this championship.
Arriving in Valhalla with just an hour to complete his normally hours-long routine, Scheffler didn’t miss a beat and ultimately shot an impressive 5-under 66 – especially given the circumstances. He is 9th in the championship and top of the first page of the leaderboard as the afternoon wave begins its effort at Valhalla Golf Club.
“It was a big misunderstanding this morning. It will be resolved quickly,” Scheffler said, explaining that he never considered not playing in the second round. “I came here for a golf tournament. … My main focus after getting arrested was wondering if I could come back here and play. Luckily, I was able to do that. It was good to put together a solid round today, for sure.”
He continued: “I feel like my head is still spinning. I can’t explain what happened this morning. I spent some time stretching in a prison cell. I sat there waiting, and I started to do my warm-ups hoping that maybe I could still come here and play.
“So I was following my routine and tried to lower my heart rate as much as I could today. I still feel like my head is spinning, but I was lucky enough to get out and play golf today.”
Unlike the day itself, Scheffler’s round started ideally when he threw a dart at the par-5 10th to set up his first birdie of the round. Perhaps a lack of concentration led to a bogey on the next one, as Scheffler missed a short par effort by slipping the ball through the hole, never touching the cup on the way.
“It probably took a few holes to feel normal,” Scheffler admitted before explaining that he suffered physical and mental shock during his arrest. “Obviously, I haven’t had my normal warm-up and I generally stick to my routine. I’m a pretty routine guy, especially when it comes to my preparation. It took a few holes to settle in. It was pretty cool being there inside the ropes competing, it’s one of my favorite things in the world, so I was lucky to be able to come here and do it again today.
The two-time Masters champion immediately made amends with a birdie at No. 12 and then began playing the consistent quality golf we’ve become accustomed to seeing from him in recent years. Five consecutive pars and a nifty birdie on the par-5 18th put the finishing touches on Scheffler’s front nine 34 as he tried to keep up with the likes of Collin Morikawa and Mark Hubbard ahead.
Scheffler’s iron shot for the long par-4 second was reminiscent of his championship-opening approach, when Scheffler’s ball landed just short of the pin, although this time it didn’t land for an eagle-2. Instead, he rolled out to 6 feet, and the towering Texan beat him to get deep into the red figures.
Scheffler scored another birdie two holes later thanks to a short approach that settled within 3 feet of the pin at number 4. One more birdie came courtesy of the par-5 7th, making Scheffler perfect on the day in the par-5 scoring chances. preceded two pars that put the finishing touch on his return.
After some early seesaw, Scheffler settled in and played his final 16 holes bogey-free 5-under style to move up the leaderboard. Scheffler’s strange tournament will continue on Saturday as he will play without his usual caddy, Ted Scott, in round three, as Scott watches his daughter’s high school graduation. Even after the round, he was still recovering from the chaotic morning he experienced before Friday’s game.
“I was almost shaking with shock and fear [during the arrest], and so going out to play today was definitely a challenge. I did my best to control my mind, control my breathing and basically just calm down so I could come here and play golf,” Scheffler explained. “I knew there would be a lot of distractions, but I didn’t really do it. know what the reception would be like. To be honest with you, it was great to have the fans supporting me. They cheered for me very loudly. I felt like they were happy to have me here competing today, and it was a good day to come here and compete.”
As Scheffler has proven throughout this season – whether dealing with an injury at the Players Championship, mentally managing his upcoming fatherhood while winning the Masters, facing a potential major hangover at the RBC Heritage or now avoiding an arrest to advance on the PGA Championship leaderboard – the world number 1 is somehow unaffected by everything that comes his way.
“As far as [whether this is among the] best rounds of my career? I would say it was pretty good,” Scheffler said with a light laugh. “I definitely never imagined going to jail, and I never imagined going to jail before one of my golf games. I was grateful to be able to go out there and compete. It was a beautiful round of golf.”
