Scottie Scheffler’s arrest was shocking. What followed mattered most

The last 12 months had it all – crazy winning streaks, big new champions, a major weekly arrest (!) and more. With 2025 on the horizon, our writers are looking at the most memorable moments from 2024.

no. 15 – Charley Hull goes viral
no. 14 – LIV, CEO of the LPGA say goodbye
no. 13 – The Solheim Cup parking fiasco
no. 12 – Open Phoenix Chaos
no. 11 – Hall of Fame Revival of Lydia Ko
no. 10 – PGA Tour-Saudi PIF merger deadlock
no. 9 – Keegan Bradley named Ryder Cup captain
no. 8 – Lexi Thompson left
No. 7 – Xander Schauffele’s progress
no. 6 – AK’s return to golf
No. 5 – The dominance of Nelly Korda
no. 4 – Bryson DeChambeau’s star turn
no. 3 – Scheffler’s surprising season
No. 2 – Rory and Bryson’s epic US Open

No. 1: Arrest of Scottie Scheffler

There’s a reason we can’t believe our eyes in mid-May, after Scottie Scheffler’s photo flashed online on Friday morning of the PGA Championship. It wasn’t necessarily that the World No. 1 was pictured in an orange jumpsuit, nor was his time to fast approaching. This was amazing THIS A specific person may end up behind bars. No one could believe this.

The course at Valhalla Golf Club hummed with that shared disbelief as a foggy delay added to the ominous morning. The mentality in the dressing room was just as ubiquitous: if there were 156 players on the pitch, you’d pick 155. others players to be in this position in front of Scheffler. He is definitely one of the most gentle people in all of golf pros.

So how did he get into that predicament? It is possible that you do not even remember – a defined breakfast from the increased police presence due to the accidental death of a tour worker, creating what Scheffler called a “chaotic situation” — because in the weeks that followed, all charges were dropped.

The internal investigation by the Louisville Metro Police Department reviewed limited but important video and audio of Scheffler’s actions that morning, and how he left the championship gates. Scheffler was helped tremendously by cell phone video taken by ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who was up before dawn for a morning TV hit, only to find himself at the center of the action.

At some point that weekend — likely between his second and third rounds — the gravity of what happened finally hit Scheffler. No matter how many jackets, medals or trophies he won, his photo would be the most popular image of the year.

Here at the end of 2024 — a year that featured nine wins by Scheffler, one of the all-time great seasons in pro golf history — the thought of Scheffler’s arrest remains partly in jest. Many spectators have arrived at his events with that picture printed on their chests. But since that specific moment was forever cemented in the annals of golf history, it’s worth remembering what happened next.

Perhaps surprisingly, Scheffler shot a five-under 66 during the second round. But in the moments after, Scheffler spoke to his agent and lawyer and then held a world-class press conference. He apologized for not being able to talk in detail and was thoughtful enough to mention the family of the PGA volunteer who had been hit and killed that morning by a bus. He was kind, thankful and forgiving. It had been a whirlwind of a day, but he was able to sit behind a microphone without malice and label the whole thing a “huge misunderstanding.”

Twelve days later—after evidence had proven the police department could not prosecute the charges—Scheffler again spoke eloquently about the ordeal. He called it a “pretty traumatic” story that he doesn’t like to relive. He chose not to pursue legal action, believing the tax dollars involved in such a case would cost Louisville residents “the wrongs of their police department.”

“It just doesn’t seem fair,” Scheffler said, a lesson for all of us about revenge.

In the end, that’s what Scheffler’s arrest became – a series of lessons for those of us who follow the sport more.

It was a mini campaign of resilience, awareness and humility. It was an exercise in not immediately believing everything a photo represents. In faith, the context behind a screenshot is always missing. It was an exercise in the role of enforcement, but also the importance of observation. That day — and the investigation that followed — might have played out a lot differently if Darlington hadn’t been up so early for ESPN. And it might have played out a lot differently if Scottie Scheffler wasn’t Scottie Scheffler.