Scottie Scheffler Produces Excellent Second Round At PGA Championship Before Delivering One Of The Best Press Conferences Of 2024
The American not only delivered on the course in the second round of the Major but also offered plenty of value in his press conference that followed
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.
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.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
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 for sure. But yeah, like I said, I was grateful to be able to go out there and compete, and yeah, it was definitely a nice round of golf.
“My heart goes out to the family. But outside of that, yeah, I'm glad to be out here competing, doing what I love.”
Scheffler also revealed that he still hadn't quite made sense of events at the start of the day. "I feel like my head is still spinning, he said: "I can't really explain what happened this morning."
He then described how his unexpected circumstances had led to an improvised warm-up routine. "I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell," he explained. "That was a first for me. That was part of my warm-up. I was just sitting there waiting and I started going through my warm-up.
"I felt like there was a chance I may be able to still come out here and play. I started going through my routine and I tried to get my heart rate down as much as I could today, but like I said, I still feel like my head is spinning a little bit. But I was fortunate to be able to make it back out and play some golf today."
Away from the course, Scheffler's legal issues still loom, with an arraignment hearing set for Tuesday. However, he thinks the matter will be resolved sooner rather than later. He added: "Yeah, like I said, it was just a huge misunderstanding this morning. That'll get resolved I think fairly quickly."
Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
-
Start Flushing Your Fairway Woods With 3 Super Simple Tips From PGA Pro Peter Finch
Flushing your fairway woods can take your game to the next level, but many amateurs struggle. Peter Finch has three simple tips to utilise these useful clubs
By Peter Finch Published
-
Bubba Watson Makes Hole-In-One To Move In To Contention At Asian Tour Event
Playing the BNI Indonesian Masters for the first time, the two-time Major winner moved firmly into contention on Saturday thanks to an ace at the par 3 11th
By Matt Cradock Published
-
Scottie Scheffler Arrest Helps Boost PGA Championship TV Numbers Despite NBA Playoff Competition
The World No.1's arrest on Friday and a stellar finish at Valhalla helped CBS record a notable bump in TV viewing figures compared to 2023
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
WATCH: How Team Schauffele Celebrated Xander’s Record-Breaking PGA Championship Win
The new World No.2 enjoyed landing his first Major title at Valhalla by partying alongside friends and family at their accommodation later on Sunday
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
The Astonishing Stat On Just How Low Scoring Was At The 2024 PGA Championship
The combined score to par for the PGA Championship field shows just how generous Valhalla was at the Major
By Mike Hall Published
-
'Beaming' Johnson Wagner Struggles To Replicate Xander Schauffele's Clutch PGA Championship Shot After Funny Shanks
Golf Channel analyst Johnson Wagner proved just how impressive Schauffele's clutch shot out of the rough was on 18 on Sunday...
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Which Players Secured Their Spots For The 2025 PGA Championship?
Following strong performances at Valhalla, we will see a number of players return to the PGA Championship in 2025
By Matt Cradock Published
-
2 Of LIV Golf’s Biggest Hitters Top PGA Championship Driving-Distance Chart
Rory McIlroy was the PGA Tour's biggest hitter in 2023, but even he couldn't hang with a pair of the LIV Golf League's longest drivers at Valhalla
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
‘Man For The People’ - Watch Classy DeChambeau Ensure Young Fan Gets His Golf Ball At PGA Championship
After throwing his golf ball to a young fan, which was intercepted by an older gentleman, DeChambeau waited until it was returned to its rightful owner as he battled it out at Valhalla
By Matt Cradock Published
-
'Definitely Disappointing' - Bryson DeChambeau Reacts To PGA Championship Near-Miss
The 2020 US Open champion shot a final round 64 to finish just one stroke shy of Xander Schauffele at Valhalla
By Elliott Heath Published