Inside Scottie Scheffler’s chaotic morning | Seen and Heard at Valhalla Day 5

Welcome to GOLF.com’s “Seen & Heard” video series, in which we give you an inside look at golf’s biggest events through the eyes and ears of our onsite crew. On deck this week: the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Let’s go!

ICYMI: Jon Rahm’s PGA Tour flirtation, PGA arrivals | Seen and Heard at Valhalla Days 1 & 2
ICYMI: Rory McIlroy’s striking PGA appearance, Tiger Woods hunting | Seen and Heard at Valhalla Day 3
ICYMI: Records shatter on birdie-filled Thursday at PGA | Seen and Heard at Valhalla Day 4

After the excitement of Thursday’s record-low scoring at Valhalla, one might wonder whether we had already witnessed the peak drama of this year’s PGA Championship. Then, Friday dawned. And oh my.

Like everyone else, the GOLF team was blindsided by the news of Scottie Scheffler’s arrest on Friday morning. The team scrolled their phones for updates, surreally landing on Scheffler’s mugshot, complete with an orange jumpsuit.

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What happened? Would Scheffler have to withdraw, or was it possible he could still make his tee time? It was a chaotic morning, with more questions than answers. Above all, there was deep sorrow for the PGA Championship vendor, John Mills, who lost his life early that morning in a tragic accident.

The traffic getting into Valhalla was bad enough that some players ended up walking more than a mile to get on property.

Ultimately, Scheffler made it back in time for his tee time — and incredibly, fired a round of 66 to keep himself in contention, three shots behind leader Xander Schauffele.

After his round, Scheffler spoke to the media about his morning, detailing how he spent his brief time in jail, and how shaken the experience had left him.

“I definitely never imagined ever going to jail, and I definitely never imagined going to jail the morning before one of my tee times,” Scheffler said.

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Once Scheffler’s round was complete, there was still plenty of time for additional storylines. Viktor Hovland impressed with a round of 66 to climb within four shots of the lead, while Schauffele hung in with a 68 to maintain his slim advantage over Collin Morikawa, who’s currently in solo second at 11 under par after a second-round 65. Tiger Woods, at seven over through 36 holes, unfortunately, will not be around for the weekend.

Another player firmly in the mix after a solid round late on Friday? Bryson DeChambeau, whose 65 has him three shots behind the lead.

“This is the story with Valhalla, right?” said GOLF’s James Colgan. “Not all that interesting a golf course, but it delivers a serious leaderboard every time. And look at where we are Friday evening.”

To catch up on all the GOLF team’s activities at Valhalla, check out the full video above — and stay tuned for more Seen & Heard throughout the week.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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