Scottie Scheffler was arrested early on the second morning of the 2024 PGA Championship.
Initial reports suggested the World No.1 and recent Masters champion had dragged a police officer across the floor with his car while trying to enter Valhalla Golf Club.
He was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, but if you scroll down this piece, you’ll find more details about one of the most controversial incidents in the history of the PGA Championship.
There have been a handful of events that have raised eyebrows at what is now golf’s second major in the calendar, politically linked and sportingly linked.
Ahead of the 2025 edition at Quail Hollow, we run down six of the memorable PGA Championship controversy moments, beginning with a bunker that Dustin Johnson didn’t know he was in.
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PGA Championship controversy
More major misery for Dustin Johnson in 2010
The final round of the PGA Championship in 2010 at Whistling Straits was extremely exciting, not least because seven different players held the lead.
Martin Kaymer rolled in a par putt on the 72nd hole to tie Bubba Watson for the lead on 11-under-par. But still on the course, Dustin Johnson made birdie on 16 and 17 to take a one-shot lead down the last.
He made a bogey but upon review, Johnson was judged to ground his club in a bunker off the fairway when hitting his second shot, in a sandy waste area which he didn’t realise was a bunker.
He admitted he grounded his club, so he was given a two-shot penalty and fell into a tie for fifth place. Kaymer beat Watson by one shot in the playoff.
“I don’t know if I can describe it. You know, walking up there, seeing the shot, it never once crossed my mind that I was in a sand trap. I guess it’s very unfortunate. I guess the only worse thing that could have happened is if I made that putt on the last hole. I never once thought that I was in a sand trap,” Johnson said afterwards.
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“I just thought I was on a piece of dirt that the crowd had trampled down. I never thought I was in a sand trap. It never once crossed my mind that I was in a bunker. Obviously, I know the Rules of Golf, and I can’t ground my club in a bunker, but that was just one situation I guess. Maybe I should have looked at the rule sheet a little harder.”
Cameron Tringale disqualifies himself
When hanging on the cut line at the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, Cameron Tringale was looking at his position on the leaderboard and saw his score on the par-3 8th hole was a three.
He didn’t make a three. He made a four, so he went and told the scorers and he was disqualified. He shot a 69 and not the 68 that he signed for. Rule 3.3b(3) concerns this department of the game.
This was one of the miserable lockdown majors. Nonetheless, it crowned a great champion in Collin Morikawa who carded a stunning final-round 64 to win by two shots from Johnson and Paul Casey.
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Trump misses out on hosting PGA Championship
In January 2021, the PGA of America announced that Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey would not host the PGA Championship in 2022.
The decision was off the back of the US Capitol riots where supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building, an incident which led to five deaths. It was going to be the first major to be hosted by a Trump golf course, but it was moved to Southern Hills.
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“The PGA of America Board of Directors voted tonight to exercise the right to terminate the agreement to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster,” Jim Richerson, the PGA President, said.
“It has become clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand and would put at risk the PGA’s ability to deliver on many programs and sustain the longevity of our mission.”
The Trump Organisation entered a legal dispute but the disagreement was settled. Justin Thomas won the 2022 PGA Championship in a playoff against Will Zalatoris.
1990 PGA dominated by racial issues
The 1990 PGA Championship was given to the Jack Nicklaus-designed Shoal Creek in Birmingham, Alabama and it was a week clouded by racial discrimination within the golf club’s membership.
Until 1990, there were no African-American members at Shoal Creek, which hosted the PGA Championship in 1984 and the US Amateur in 1986. It also went on to host the US Women’s Open in 2018.
In the lead-up to the 1990 event, club founder Hall Thompson stubbornly declared the club wouldn’t be pressured into accepting black members, telling a reporter:
“We have the right to associate or not to associate with whomever we choose. The country club is our home and we pick and choose who we want. I think we’ve said that we don’t discriminate in every other area except the blacks.”
Civil rights groups threatened to protest at the event and IBM was one sponsor to pull out their support for the event which financially hurt the host broadcaster ABC. The rights had to go to CBS the following year.
A compromise of sorts was reached when Shoal Creek accepted Louis J. Willie as the first black member. Wayne Grady won his first and only major this year, beating Fred Couples by three shots.
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In 1994, Shoal Creek hosted an individual intercollegiate championship which was won by Tiger Woods. “You’re a great player, I’m proud of you. You’re superb,” Thompson said to Woods.
1969 protestors target Nicklaus and Player
Civil rights protestors dominated the headlines of day three of the 1969 PGA Championship at NCR Country Club in Ohio with behaviour directly aimed at Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
The Eugene Register-Guard reported that a civil rights group called the Dayton Organisation made a list of demands such as 3,000 free tickets, an end to the Vietnam War and money for poor people. If they weren’t met, they would storm the tournament, which they did.
On the 3rd hole in round three, it was reported a book was thrown on the green. On hole 9, a protestor shouted just as Nicklaus was playing a shot and water was thrown at Player. Player was over a putt when people broke on to the green, causing a scuffle that saw Player fall to the ground.
On another hole, one protestor was reported to run on the green and threaten to pick up Nicklaus’ ball. It was simply chaos and Player went on to come second by a shot to Raymond Floyd, while Nicklaus failed to make the top 10.
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Scheffler’s arrest in 2024
We’re back where we started. Scheffler was detained and handcuffed after trying to drive into Valhalla on day two of the PGA Championship in 2024.
The police report said Detective Bryan Gillis was dragged across the road after Scheffler allegedly ignored his instruction regarding the traffic. The report said Gillis suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee and his trousers worth $80 were permanently damaged.
His charges of second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer were dismissed after it was revealed Detective Gillis didn’t have his body-worn camera activated.
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Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell revealed prosecutors weren’t going to move forward with the case. The whole ordeal was highlighted by stunning footage across global news channels of Scheffler being ushered into a police car in handcuffs.
Scheffler was trying to navigate the traffic by the golf course where there was a heavy police presence after a previous accident that resulted in the death of John Mills. The Texan played in the second round and shot a six-under 71, going on to come tied for eighth behind Xander Schauffele.
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Which was the most memorable PGA Championship controversy? Is there a PGA Championship controversy we’ve missed from the list? Tell us on X!
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