Scottie Scheffler fans criticized Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear for a tongue-in-cheek tweet he posted about 12 hours before the golfer was arrested in Louisville.
On Thursday, Beshear reposted a clip of a PGA Championship promo to commemorate opening day and wrote: The eyes of the world are on our great community, once again. Let us welcome them to our new home in Kentucky with the kindness and hospitality that characterizes us.”
The tweet didn’t age well when the golf world woke up to the news that Scheffler was detained outside of Valhalla while trying to make it to his tee time on Friday. As a result, fans took to Beshear’s comments section and criticized the Governor after the world No. 1 was stopped due to what he described as a misunderstanding.
“Good job so far, Andy,” one user wrote with a mug shot of Scheffler.
“Dude…all I can say is the whole world is watching your hospitality and it’s amazing,” another wrote with a screenshot of the golfer’s inmate report.
Scottie Scheffler fans blast Gov. Andy Beshear for tweet before golfer’s arrest
The world number one was arrested outside Valhalla before the second round of the PGA Championship.
Fans took X and reacted to Beshear’s tweet about Kentucky’s hospitality with the PGA in town.
A third user told the Governor: “You blew it,” while another urged him to “update your browser.”
However, Scheffler was released at 8:40 a.m. and arrived at the golf course 30 minutes later.
He left the facility after being charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals for an officer directing traffic.
Scheffler received a standing ovation as he prepared for his second round in the Championship alongside Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman.
Following his arrest, it was revealed that a fatal accident involving a pedestrian occurred outside the club at 5.09am. With heavy traffic caused by the accident, Scheffler was caught in a misunderstanding, which led him to drag an officer with his vehicle.
Scheffler told reporter ‘please help me’ as Kentucky police dragged him away
Scheffler then returned to Valhalla to post a remarkable five-under par just hours later.
“This morning I proceeded as directed by the police officers,” Scheffler clarified on his Instagram story. ‘It was a very chaotic situation, understandably given the tragic accident that had happened earlier, and there was a huge misunderstanding about what I thought I was being asked to do.
“I never intended to ignore any instructions,” he continued. “I’m hoping to put this aside and focus on golf today.”
“Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest condolences to the family of the man who died in the accident this morning. It really puts everything into perspective.”
