If Scottie Scheffler isn’t having some fun as we approach the anniversary of his infamous PGA Championship arrest, this is one incredible coincidence.
Scheffler showed up to Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina on Wednesday wearing a plain orange Nike polo for his practice round. That isn’t news on it’s own, but his choice of clothing came almost exactly a year after he was arrested at last year’s PGA Championship, which led him to having his mug shot taken in an orange jail jumpsuit.
While there are any number of reasons that Scheffler could be wearing an orange polo — he went to Texas, for example — this is apparently the first time that Scheffler has worn orange at a tournament since his arrest.
Yes I DID scroll through a year of Getty images to confirm this
— claire rogers (@kclairerogers) May 14, 2025
Scheffler has to be in on the joke then … right?
Scheffler was arrested and charged with a felony ahead of the second round of last year’s tournament in Louisville after he tried to drive into Valhalla Golf Club while police were investigating a separate incident outside the gates that ended in a pedestrian fatality. Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic. All of those charges were later dropped.
Remarkably, Scheffler was released from custody in time to make it back to Valhalla Golf Club for his tee time. He posted a 5-under 66 that day, which was the second-best score of the round and kept him in contention. He ended up finishing T8.
Almost instantly, fans showed up at Valhalla wearing “Free Scottie” shirts with his mug shot on them. Another was spotted in a fake orange jumpsuit. Fans kept wearing the “Free Scottie” gear throughout the rest of the season, too.
Scheffler, the top-ranked golfer in the world, is a slight favorite to claim the Wanamaker Trophy this week. He’s yet to miss a cut on the PGA Tour this season, and he’s coming off a dominant win two weeks ago at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson — which marked his sixth top-10 finish in nine starts.
Whether Scheffler is playing up his arrest this year or not, there are sure to be fans in North Carolina rocking the burnt orange and “Free Scottie” gear while they follow him around the course.
