“He's not a criminal at all” - Xander Schauffele defends Scottie Scheffler after his arrest

Xander Schauffele has spoken in support of Scottie Scheffler after the latter's recent brush with the law. Scottie Scheffler was arrested last week before the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship on Friday, May 17.

The World No.1 player was charged with four offences including serious offences like second-degree assault of a police officer and third-degree criminal mischief. He was also charged with reckless driving and for breaking traffic rules.

Xander Schauffele defended the world's top golfer in The Rich Eisen Show. While talking to Eisen, Xander Schauffele described the mood in the clubhouse on the day of Scottie Scheffler's arrest. He said (via The Rich Eisen Show):

"He was on the opposite wave of me. So I caught the news as everyone else did from home. You watch it, you think it's a prank, you're in disbelief kind of in shock like what the heck happened here." (6:34-6:45)

The World No.2 emphasized that Scheffler wasn't a criminal, and his only crime was beating his competitors at the tee. He said,

"So Scottie is rock solid. We share the same physio. I see Scottie week in week out on the physio table in like a private environment and he's a family man. He doesn't harm anyone besides competitors when he beats them all the time. And so that's the extent of how harmful Scottie can be and he's great. " (6:45-7:08)

Schauffele added that he hoped all charges against Scheffler would be dropped. He continued,

"Him and Meredith are an awesome couple. And I'm really hoping that he comes out unscathed and all these charges get dropped. Because he's not a criminal at all. So he's an awesome dude." (7:08-7:22)

The 2017 PGA tour winner, also shared a funny anecdote, on how his friends lightly teased Scheffler after the incident. Members of Scheffler's group chat changed the group photo to his mugshot.

Aside from the off-court incident, the golf course witnessed its own set of dramatic events, as Xander Schauffele emerged victorious in the second Major of the year held at Valhalla Golf Club.

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Xander Schauffele celebrates the 2024 PGA Championship victory by drinking Champagne from the Wanamaker trophy

In a video posted by Schauffele's wife Maya on Instagram, Xander is seen celebrating the moment with his friends and family. She captioned the post,

"It all felt like a dream. So proud of @xanderschauffele. We laughed, we cried, and we most certainly drank!"

In the video, the Olympic gold medalist, his wife, and several friends were seen drinking champagne from the Wanamaker trophy. Xander Schauffele's brother and caddie were also present in the notable moment. The winner of the PGA Championship gets to take a replica of the original Wanamaker trophy until the next tournament.

Schauffele is enjoying a great 2024 season so far. Apart from his Major win, the USA golfer has 9 top-10 finishes in 12 starts this year.

• The Sentry: T10 (66-69-65-68, 268, -24)
• The American Express: T3 (64-69-63-65, 261, -27)
• Farmers Insurance Open: T9 (69-68-72-70, 279, -9)
• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: T54 (73-72-67, 212, -4)
• The Genesis Invitational: T4 (70-66-65-70, 271, -13)
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: T25 (72-70-76-70, 288, E)
• THE PLAYERS Championship: T2 (65-69-65-70, 269, -19)
• Valspar Championship: T5 (68-72-71-65, 276, -8)
• Masters Tournament: 8 (72-72-70-73, 287, -1)
• RBC Heritage: T18 (72-64-67-72, 275, -9)
• Wells Fargo Championship: 2 (64-67-70-71, 272, -12)
• PGA Championship: 1 (62-68-68-65, 263, -21)