Anyone merely tuning in to the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla would have assumed that, where World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is concerned, it was business as usual on Friday, as he completed a five-under round of 66 to head to the clubhouse just two behind leader Collin Morikawa on nine-under.
However, what made his effort on Friday particularly remarkable was it came just hours after he was arrested.
Scheffler’s brush with the law came after he drove to Valhalla to prepare for his round, only to find police directing traffic following an accident near the course, which tragically took the life of a vendor at the tournament.
An arrest citation accuses Scheffler of refusing to comply with instructions, and also states he “accelerated forward which dragged the officer directing traffic “to the ground.” Scheffler has described the incident as a misunderstanding. However, it has led to charges, including second-degree assault of a police officer.
Nevertheless, with the wheels of justice grinding in the background, on the course, Scheffler showed remarkable composure to go one better than the four-under 67 he produced the day before. Beginning on hole 10, Scheffler got down to business immediately with a birdie on the par four, before his one and only bogey of the round came on the next hole.
Anyone wondering if it was a sign that the events of earlier had taken their toll could soon put those thoughts to one side when he followed that with his second birdie, before another came on his ninth of the day, the 18th.
Scottie Scheffler’s second-round 66 leaves him in with a good chance of claiming his third Major victory
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The American, who is bidding for his second Major win of the year after victory at The Masters a month ago, then produced three more birdies after the turn to leave him third on the leaderboard heading back to the clubhouse behind Morikawa and Xander Schauffele.
Afterwards, Scheffler was remarkably open about his day, and admitted that, given the context, his second round had been particularly satisfying. He said: “As far as best rounds of my career, I would say it was pretty good.
“I definitely never imagined ever going to jail, and I definitely never imagined going to jail the morning before one of my tee times…
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