Scottie Scheffler’s arrest hours before his second-round tee time at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, will go down as one of the most shocking in professional golf history. It certainly wasn’t the first, though.
Tiger Woods and John Daly are probably the highest-profile golfers to wear handcuffs, but Scheffler’s arrest is very different because it happened while he was competing in a tournament — a major championship, no less.
Woods was arrested in 2017 on suspicion of driving under the influence when he was found asleep in the driver’s seat of his Mercedes-Benz while he was recovering from back surgery. Daly was taken into custody in North Carolina in October 2008 after he was found drunk outside a Hooters restaurant and held until he could get sober.
At least five other pro golfers — Robert Allenby, Steven Bowditch, Matt Every, Joe Ogilvie and Jack McGurn — have been arrested either during or around a tournament.
Robert Allenby
Australian golfer Robert Allenby was arrested outside a casino in Rock Island, Illinois, hours after he missed the cut in the 2016 John Deere Classic. Allenby was apprehended outside Jumer’s Casino and charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing.
Steven Bowditch
Another Australian, Steven Bowditch, was arrested for extreme DUI following the first round of the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Scottsdale police said Bowditch had a blood-alcohol level over 0.20% when he was taken into custody.
Responding to a 911 report about a truck “swerving all over the road,” officers observed the vehicle sit through two greens lights without moving and found Bowditch asleep behind the wheel. He was released from jail, shot 3-over 74 in the second round and missed the cut.
Matt Every
Matt Every was in his first year on the PGA Tour when he was arrested for marijuana possession in Bettendorf, Iowa, two days before the first round of the 2010 John Deere Classic. He was arrested along with two other men after police were called to investigate the odor of marijuana coming from a room.
The smell became stronger when police knocked on the door, according to a police report. Every tied for 56th in the tournament and later was suspended for three weeks. He was suspended 12 weeks in 2019 for violating the PGA Tour’s Conduct Policy for drugs.
Joe Ogilvie
Joe Ogilvie was charged with driving while impaired after a traffic stop on the day before the 2006 Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Police say he was stopped for speeding, and the officer smelled alcohol. He failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody before posting bond. He tied for 26th that week.
Jack McGurn
Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn was one of Chicago mobster Al Capone’s henchmen, and also was a pretty good stick. He entered the 1933 Western Open under an assumed name and shot 83 in the first round. Police got wise to McGurn’s ruse the next day and planned to arrest him on the course.
According to Golfheritage.org, Chicago had just passed a law to treat individuals associated with crime as vagrants unless they could show legitimate income. At the time, McGurn headed up a bookmaking operation. McGurn was 1 under when officers approached him on the seventh green to make the arrest. But McGurn asked if they would let him finish his round and they agreed.
The encounter must have rattled McGurn because he finished with an 86 and then was ushered to the hoosegow.
