PGA Championship: PGA Tour pros offer their take on the entry debacle

The PGA Championship entry debacle caused quite a storm at Valhalla Golf Club on Friday.

Unfortunately, someone lost their life after being hit by a shuttle bus, and then, in another incident, police arrested Scottie Scheffler and booked him into custody on four different charges.

Fortunately, the world number 1 returned for his morning start time, but the situation remained dire for everyone involved. The two-time Masters winner then returned to the golf course and shot a 5-under 66 despite the insane drama surrounding him.

Scheffler even called the situation a misunderstanding and thanked the officers after his round for doing their job, because that’s what it is.

However, 155 other players were expected to gain access to the property. Sure, the PGA of America delayed tee times, but that didn’t make things any easier. Half the peloton still had to deal with traffic and other delays.

This included Harris English, Will Zalatoris, Austin Eckroat and Min Woo Lee, all of whom detailed their mornings after their second round. Some of their comments made Scheffler’s arrest even more mind-boggling.

Zalatoris told Gabby Herzig, a reporter for The Athletic, that he, Cam Young and Eckroat drove the final stretch to arrive on time.

Eckroat gave his version of the facts after his tour.

“I was on my way when we received a text message about a delay. I got to two miles and it took me about 30 minutes,” Eckroat said.

“I ended up getting out of my car, walking a mile and a half and asking my wife to drive the car. It was a weird morning. Something I’ve never experienced. It was a tragedy followed by a strange incident. It was interesting, but luckily it didn’t affect my game too much.”

Harris English had to completely change his route.

“I had no idea what was happening. They wouldn’t let anyone pass from the side I was coming from, so I had to turn around, go north of the course, took about 20 more minutes, then went into the club,” declared English.

“It’s dark, it’s raining, the police are lighting everywhere. It was strange arriving at class this morning. This is not a calm and normal arrival.

When asked about the incident surrounding Scheffler, English provided some perspective.

“It could have been any of us,” English added.

“We all take the same path when we arrive at the club. Very unhappy. You never want to hear about someone who lost their life coming to class. It’s just terrible.

Lee offered more details. He noted that both situations this morning affected him before and during his round.

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Before leaving, Lee tweeted: “Free Scottie.”

Like many players, including Scheffler, Lee used a courtesy Lexus that many players drove every day to get to the course.

“I thought it was a bit of an overreaction,” Lee said.

“I went around traffic and was following the cars, a Lexus car which was one of the courtesy cars. Lots of people did it. He was also in a courtesy car, so I don’t know what the cause is. It was just more – it had no real meaning.

In all this context, Scheffler’s arrest looks more and more like a huge misunderstanding. But we won’t know officially until the legal process takes place.

However, only one thing is certain since Friday: this championship has proven to be a logistical nightmare for everyone involved.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is the golf staff editor for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.