World's top golfer Scheffler says arrest outside PGA Championship course 'big misunderstanding'

Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 golfer in the world, was charged Friday morning in connection with assaulting a police officer outside of the golf course at which the PGA Championship is being played, says the incident is "big misunderstanding." 

The incident occurred in the predawn hours outside of the Valhalla Golf Club, in Louisville, Kentucky, about an hour after a fatal accident occurred at about 5 a.m. ET. 

Scheffler failed to stop when ordered to do so by police and allegedly dragged a detective as he proceeded, according to local TV station WLKY..

The 27-year-old was the ordered out of his vehicle, handcuffed at taking to police station to be charged. 

"This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers," Scheffler said in a statement on social media. "It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I'm hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today."

The fatal accident occurred when a man was struck by a shuttle bus as he tried to cross a road near the course, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Scheffler was released from jail after processing at about 8:40 a.m., and returned to the course about an hour before his 10:08 a.m. tee time, according to ABC News.com.

Scheffler refused to comply with the police officer's request to stop and "accelerated forward," dragging the detective to the ground, according to a police report obtained by the news outlet.

He faces charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic, according to the police report.

The detective was taken to the hospital for a wrist and knee injuries.