efferson County prosecutors have dropped all charges against world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, following his arrest during a traffic jam outside the PGA Championship earlier this month. County attorney Mike O’Connell announced the decision on Wednesday, citing evidence that corroborated Scheffler’s claim that the incident was a misunderstanding.
Scheffler was arrested on May 17 while attempting to navigate around a traffic backup caused by a fatal crash outside Valhalla Golf Club. The arrest occurred shortly after 6 a.m. as Scheffler tried to get to the course for his tee time. According to the arrest report, detective Bryan Gillis claimed he was “dragged” by Scheffler’s vehicle and required medical treatment for his injuries. However, video evidence did not support this claim.
O’Connell motioned to dismiss the case in open court, and the judge granted the dismissal of all charges, including second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals. Scheffler’s attorney, Steven Romines, stated that Scheffler would not pursue any litigation against the Louisville Metro Police Department or the city, emphasizing that Scheffler did not want taxpayers to incur any costs.
The incident began when Scheffler was directed by an officer to drive around the traffic to reach the club. However, detective Gillis subsequently ordered him to stop, leading to the arrest. Chief of Police Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel later confirmed that Gillis had violated department policy by not activating his body-worn camera and received corrective action.
Released videos of the incident showed no evidence of an officer being knocked to the ground. One video from a fixed pole camera showed officers approaching Scheffler’s car before his arrest, but the view was partially blocked by buses.
“It’s obvious he didn’t do anything wrong. Scottie’s a victim here,” Romines said.
Despite the arrest, Scheffler returned to the course after his release and shot a second-round 66 to remain in contention at the PGA Championship. He ultimately finished tied for eighth place.