A major championship is always a big occasion, but this years PGA Championship at Valhalla gave us some story lines that we never expected.
An exciting first round put a number of the favorites at the top of the leaderboard, Bryson, Rory, Brooks and of course the master Champion Scottie Scheffler.
However, as Scottie arrived to the golf course on Friday morning for round two an unfortunate traffic accident had just occurred where a spectator had been hit by a shuttle bus. Scottie was on his way to the golf course and simply got stuck in some of the major traffic that had been backed up as a result. As Scottie tried to make his way through the traffic, a misunderstanding with a police officer resulted in his sudden arrest, and ultimately he was taken to the police station and placed into custody.
A shocking event for any player, but for someone like Scottie Scheffler who is currently the world number and who's image is cleaner than clean it was a shock for the public. How Scottie was feeling in those moments, I don't think anyone could comprehend.
At approximately 8.40am Scottie was released from jail, arriving to the golf course less than an hour before his tee time. As the world looked on Scheffler put together one of the most amazing rounds you are ever likely to see under the circumstance.
While Scotties 66 was impressive, his reaction to the circumstances was even more so:
This video gives a great insight into the timeline of Scottie's morning, but pay close attention to the interview, the mental strength he shows throughout is incredible.
The reporters summed it up nicely when they said they would not even be sure if he would talk to the media after what happened in the morning, yet he came in and spoke to them media with a very positive attitude and body language throughout.
He briefly speaks about how he realized that the tournament had been delayed, and there was still a chance that he could somehow make his tee time. Even though he was behind bars facing an incredibly difficult position, he remained optimistic. Even more importantly he looked towards what he could control and what do to help his cause if he did get out on time, and even began his stretching routine while he was locked up.
I think more than anything else he maintained perspective on the whole situation. He kept the focus on the tragic death of John Mills. He immediately mentioned that his situation would get sorted out, but he couldn't imagine what John's family was going through.
While this whole situation was bizarre to say the least, we can all learn a lot from how Scottie dealt with it. He handled things step by step, remained optimistic and focused on the things that were within his control. While Scottie is a phenomenal ball striker, I think this really showed one of his biggest strengths which is his mental game and overall ability to deal with adversity.
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