Scheffler was scheduled to strike the first blow at 10:08 a. m. m. ET Friday for the second round of the tournament. If he had not been able to play due to disqualification or retirement, it is possible that it would have had huge consequences on the betting markets.
Well, it’s new.
Scottie Scheffler was arrested by Kentucky police on Friday morning, before the start of the second round of the PGA Championship.
The incident created some uncertainty about who would be to blame for the world’s most productive golfer for sports betting sites, but Scheffler broke free and eventually arrived at his originally scheduled tee time.
ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington said Scheffler was arrested “after a false traffic impression led him to attempt to pass a police officer” at Valhalla Golf Club, where the PGA Championship is being played this week.
Darlington then posted a video of Scheffler being carried through handcuffed officials in the morning darkness before the start of the second circular of the 2024 golf primary.
The PGA Championship match had already been pushed back for an hour and 20 minutes on Friday after a rider was allegedly fatally struck by a bus going back and forth near Valhalla in Louisville, KY.
While the situation has other implications, Scheffler is also one of the most popular options among sports bettors to win the PGA Championship. It would be his second top name this year (and back-to-back ones too) if he pulls it off.
Scheffler was scheduled to strike the first blow at 10:08 a. m. ET on Friday. If he had not been able to play due to disqualification or retirement, it is possible that it would have had huge consequences on the betting markets.
ESPN, however, reported on its screen around 8:40 a. m. ET that Scheffler had been released and was on his way to the golf course.
Scheffler then arrived in Valhalla around 9:12 a. m. ET and hit golf balls in the driving diversity 30 minutes before their scheduled tee time. He went out a while after 10:08 a. m.
While it’s not a challenge in the end, it’s also possible, under golf regulations, that Scheffler’s tee time would have been delayed without penalty if officials had approved it.
However, Scheffler, as the world’s number one golfer, represents a major hurdle for regulated sports venues.
At FanDuel, for example, Scheffler was the best choice to win the PGA title among a handful, with the operator reporting Thursday that 16% of the money went to the 2024 Masters champion.
“Scottie Scheffler and the 10 Most Sensible also continue to accept bet after bet,” BetMGM sports trader Matthew Wall said Thursday.
The rule on many online sports sites is that a bet is official once the golfer hits the first tee. Scheffler did just that on Thursday, shooting a 67 to end the day tied for 12th at 4 under.
That meant Scheffler’s enthusiasts might not have been lucky if he hadn’t played the rest of the weekend.
“A player is deemed to have played once he has exited,” says bet365’s rules for outright golf betting. “In the event of a player withdrawing after having folded, the bet will be forfeited on outright, group, adjustment or 18-hole bets. “.
BetMGM showed Covers that since the tournament started on Thursday and Scheffler had played, bettors would have forfeited their winner’s tickets if he had been disqualified or unable to continue.
“The second-round specials would have been refunded if it hadn’t started,” BetMGM’s Drew O’Dell said in an email Friday morning. “Thankfully, he’s started and he’s betting right now. “
A Scheffler DQ may have affected many BetMGM customers.
The trader reported after Scheffler’s departure on Friday that it remains his biggest disadvantage in the PGA Championship outright winners market, even with his odds reduced to 450 around 10:30 a. m. ET.
Scheffler accounted for 17. 2% of the tournament’s winning entries and 27. 7% of sales in the market, according to BetMGM. The bookmaker’s second-biggest liability, Brooks Koepka, the reigning PGA Championship winner, had attracted 9. 1% of the buy-ins and 11. 3% of the money, albeit at higher odds of 1200.
Meanwhile, DraftKings reported Friday around 11:20 a. m. m. ET Scheffler’s victory is responsible for 31% of bets and 42% of winnings in the PGA Championship outright market. That’s 3 and 4 times higher, respectively, than the numbers of the closest golfer. Rory McIlroy.
Scheffler’s odds were 360 at DraftKings at the time, tournament leader Xander Schauffele at 240.
WAVE News in Kentucky reported that Scheffler was incarcerated at the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections after being arrested on charges.
The news outlet said the charges were: second-degree assault on a police officer, mischief by third-degree felon, reckless driving, and failure to use traffic lights through a traffic officer.