Scottie Scheffler and the USA hold a 5-0 lead at the Presidents Cup (Image: X: @FairwayFunnies)
Scottie Scheffler told fans about the brief time he spent in jail earlier this year during a chat on the driving range at the Presidents Cup.
Scheffler was arrested before his second round at the US PGA Championship in May while trying to enter Valhalla Golf Club in heavy traffic. He was charged with assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer – though all were subsequently dropped.
But only after Scheffler had been handcuffed, taken into custody and put in a prison cell. Fans congregating near the American at Royal Montreal Golf Club, the host venue for this year’s Presidents Cup, took their chance to find out more about his ordeal.
And luckily for them, Scheffler was on his experience. “Jail is kind of boring, to be honest with you,” he said. “I needed something to do. I was alone in the jail cell.
“One of the guys in the jail, the first guy, a police officer who knew who I was, literally walked up in disbelief going, ‘what the heck did you do?’ I was like, ‘I dunno’.”
The case against Scheffler was promptly dismissed when authorities determined that his actions ‘did not satisfy the elements of any criminal offence’. The 28-year-old returned to complete his second round and eventually finished the US PGA in eighth.
Things got tense between Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim (left) on Thursday (Image: Getty)
Scheffler has his eyes on a different prize this week, with the USA taking on their International rivals at the Presidents Cup. The Americans have raced into a commanding lead up to this point in the competition, with the score sitting at 5-0.
between Scheffler and South Korean golfer Tom Kim on Thursday as the pair went blow for blow in Montreal. Kim holed a long birdie putt on the seventh and screamed “let’s go” before Scheffler holed his own birdie and hit back: “What was that?”
Moving onto the eighth, Kim sunk another long birdie putt and controversially moved onto the ninth tee before Scheffler had taken his own putt – which he missed. Hitting back at criticism over the incident, Kim said: “There was no reason to stay there and look at him putt. It doesn’t help us at all.
“He’s a good friend. But at the same time, this week I don’t like him. I want to beat him so bad, and I’m sure he feels the same way.”
Scheffler added: “I would have done the same thing back at home. It’s all in good fun. We’re friends after. We’re not friends during.”