Scheffler Uncertain If Arrest Influenced PGA Championship Outcome After Hectic Weekend
Scottie Scheffler expressed uncertainty about whether his arrest on Friday influenced his performance after a disappointing Saturday led to him finishing tied for eighth at the PGA Championship. On Friday, the world number one was arrested outside Valhalla Golf Club before his second round. He faces charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
Scheffler shot a five-under 66 in the delayed second round, one stroke better than his first round. However, a two-over 73 on Saturday effectively ended his hopes of consecutive major wins. Xander Schauffele ultimately claimed his first major title at 21 under, eight shots ahead of Scheffler.
Speaking after Sunday’s final round, in which a run of seven birdies in 10 holes helped him card a 65, Scheffler said he was proud of the way he finished the event. "I think 'hectic' would probably be a good description," Scheffler said. "I'm fairly tired, definitely a lot more tired than I have been finishing some other tournaments. I'm proud of today how we went out there and fought."
He continued, "I got off to a slow start and I was able to get some momentum and post a good round. Yesterday obviously was quite frustrating and a bit of a different day, but overall proud of how I fought this week. Was fortunate to be out here competing, doing what I love."
When asked whether his arrest had an impact on his performance, Scheffler said: "It's hard to tell. I think I would attribute it mostly to a bad day. I think when you come out here to compete, you're doing what you can throughout the course of the round to post a score and I wasn't able to get that done yesterday."
Scheffler added, "Did I feel like myself? Absolutely not. Was my warm-up the way it usually is and the distractions the way they normally are? Absolutely not. I got arrested Friday morning and I showed up here and played a good round of golf. So I've been good throughout my career at leaving the off-course distractions at home and keeping a pretty quiet personal life."
"I'm not going to sit here and say that I played poorly yesterday because of what happened on Friday. I just had a bad day out on the course and was proud of how I came out here and bounced back today," he concluded.
| Position | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xander Schauffele | -21 |
| T8 | Scottie Scheffler | -13 |
The final leaderboard from Valhalla.
The final leaderboard from Valhalla.
@ROLEX | #Rolex pic.twitter.com/rVch1esagu
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 20, 2024
Sign in with Google