The 106th PGA Championship began with an unfortunate incident that caused significant traffic delays and led to the detention of world No 1 Scottie Scheffler by police. Play was delayed for 1 hour and 20 minutes due to the chaos that occurred at the Valhalla Golf Club, located just outside Louisville.
The disruption occurred when a pedestrian was struck and killed by a bus near the entrance to the golf club, resulting in extensive traffic congestion in the area and significant delays for players attempting to reach the course. Several players, including Will Zalatoris and Cameron Young, were forced to abandon their courtesy cars and walk the last mile to the course in the rain.
Scheffler became involved in the commotion when he attempted to drive past a police officer to enter the grounds, resulting in a misunderstanding with the officer and ultimately leading to Scheffler’s detention and arrest. However, he was eventually released by the police and assured the opportunity to make his new tee time.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, Scheffler was “detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club.” The situation escalated when the police officer shoved and handcuffed Scheffler, apparently unaware of his identity.
Due to the chaos, the tee times for the entire field were delayed, with Scheffler’s new tee time adjusted to 3.08pm Irish time. The PGA of America released a statement confirming the delayed start time for the second round of the championship.
Among the players affected by the delayed start time are Shane Lowry, whose tee time was rescheduled for 2:13pm Irish time, and Pádraig Harrington, who will now tee off at 3:30pm. The initially scheduled start time of 8:35 am local time was postponed to accommodate the unforeseen circumstances.
The incident has overshadowed the prestigious tournament, but with Scheffler set to make his tee time and play getting back underway, the focus now shifts to the action on the golf course. The unexpected turn of events only adds to the drama and anticipation surrounding the championship, making for an eventful and unpredictable day at Valhalla.