Getting arrested was the best thing that ever happened to Scottie Scheffler’s brand | Commentary

He’s the No. 1 player in the world and it’s not even close.

He’s a two-time major winner who won nine tournaments last year, including the Masters, Players Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Fed-Ex Cup and the Olympic Gold Medal.

He won more than $62 million on the course and shattered the PGA Tour record for earnings in a season.

He’s dominating golf courses like they haven’t been dominated since Tiger Woods in his prime.

But I’m here to tell you today that the best thing that ever happened to Scottie Scheffler’s brand was getting arrested, handcuffed and hauled off to jail last year during the PGA Championship.

When I presented my peculiar hypothesis to Scheffler himself during a Zoom interview with Orlando-area writers and broadcasters earlier this week at The Arnold Palmer Invitational Media Day, Scheffler and some of my media colleagues gave me a bit of a puzzled look.

“I’ve never been the guy who has worried about building my brand,” Scheffler said. “I just live my life. I didn’t really look at a lot of stuff that was going on in the media [during the arrest] although I heard Twitter had a pretty fun day that day, but overall the opinions that I value the most are the people who are closest to me.”

Fair enough. His response reflects the sort of down-to-earth guy that Scheffler is, but I stand by my premise. You see, brands and reputations are not built by the people in your inner circle; they are built by the millions who watch TV and engage on social media.

Before the arrest last season, Scheffler was perceived as a brilliant-but-bland golfer. Yes, he was a dominant force on the course, combining consistency, precision and an unflappable mental game. But off the course, he had a forgettable personality in a sport that craves larger-than-life characters such as Tiger and Arnie.

Then came the bizarre, surreal morning at the 2024 PGA Championship in Louisville when the responses of some seemingly overzealous Louisville police officers ended with Scheffler being arrested and hauled off to jail as a stunned crowd looked on. Photos of Scheffler in handcuffs, followed by his mug shot in an orange jump suit were plastered all over the Internet.

Scheffler was originally charged with a felony for assaulting a police officer with his vehicle, along with three misdemeanors. The arresting officer, Detective Bryan Gillis, was outside the gate of Valhalla Golf Course directing traffic after a pedestrian death when he encountered Scheffler, who was trying to drive around the traffic jam and enter the course as several other PGA-marked vehicles were instructed to do by other police officers on the scene.

In the end, all charges against Scheffler were dropped and the incident was dismissed as a giant misunderstanding amid a chaotic traffic jam. In the aftermath, however, Scheffler became a bit of a folk hero. Late-night talk show hosts poked fun at the ordeal. Funny videos showed up on TikTok. Memes and hashtags filled the social media platforms. Golf fans began yelling “Free Scottie!” at tournaments.

In fact, the story transcended golf and renewed debates about overly aggressive policing. Hey, if it could happen to a privileged white golfer; it could happen to anybody.

The arrest could have tarnished his reputation, but instead it transformed Scheffler’s public image. It showed a certain vulnerability and humanized a man who was previously perceived as an unsmiling, unflinching golfing robot. It also revealed Scheffler as a man who handled an absurd, chaotic situation with grace and dignity.

In a statement after the charges were dropped, Scheffler said, “I hold no ill will toward Officer Gillis. I wish to put this incident behind me and move on, and I hope he will do the same. Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard.”

The arrest in Louisville could have been a footnote in Scheffler’s career, but I contend it was a turning point. Off the course — and maybe even on it. The one weakness in his impeccable game has always been putting, but he improved immensely on the greens last season. Was it because he started using a different putter or was it because of what happened in Louisville? When you’re arrested, handcuffed and get carted off to jail as the whole world looks on, perhaps those 4-foot- putts don’t seem so pressure-packed after all.

So there you have it.

Now you know why I asked the question that got some quizzical looks at API Media Day earlier this week.

Who would have ever thought getting arrested could actually boost the career of the No. 1 golfer in the world?

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see Scottie Scheffler teeing off at The Arnie in six weeks.

Not just because he’s such a remarkable golfer, but because he is now a much more relatable person.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen