The bad boys of golf! PGA Tour stars arrested, from Tiger Woods to Angel Cabrera… after world number 1 Scottie Scheffler was jailed in Kentucky

Scottie Scheffler, a mild-mannered and even-tempered family man, can now be counted among the bad boys of his sport after his pre-dawn arrest at Valhalla Golf Club.

Well, he’s not really a “bad boy” more than a victim of circumstances. Scheffler says a misunderstanding with police led him to drag a police officer who was clinging to the golfer’s vehicle in the early hours before Friday’s second round of the PGA Championship.

These officers were there to direct traffic after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a shuttle bus. Scheffler tried to get around blocked traffic and didn’t realize the officers were telling him to stop.

He was taken out of his vehicle, handcuffed and taken into custody at a Louisville police station. He was charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and failure to obey the signals of a traffic officer.

But Scheffler is far from the worst offender on the list of golfers who have had run-ins with law enforcement.

Scheffler was charged with several counts, including second-degree assault of a police officer.

Scheffler fans arrived at the PGA Championship wearing ‘Free Scottie’ t-shirts

Several big winners have already been incarcerated for reckless behavior – ranging from being drunk in public to driving under the influence.

Others were charged with more violent crimes and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

DailyMail.com takes a look at golf’s ‘bad boys’ and what they did to earn such a reputation.

John Daly

We begin with a man who was arrested after being found drunk outside a Hooters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Daly admitted that drinking has been one of the biggest struggles of his life – saying it started between the ages of 8 and 10.

Later in life, he admitted that much of his struggle had to do with having an alcoholic and abusive father.

He was hospitalized four times for alcohol poisoning between 1989 and 1993 before spending time in a rehabilitation center.

His focus on hamburgers and candy to curb his craving for alcohol didn’t last long before he started drinking beer in 1996.

His drinking problem persisted through the remainder of the 1990s and into the early 2000s. At one point, his swing coach, Butch Harmon, resigned, saying, “the most important thing in (his) life is about getting drunk.”

This led to the October 26, 2008 incident in which Winston-Salem police arrested him. Although he was not arrested or charged with an offense, officers released his mugshot to the media, causing him negative publicity.

Daly then committed to quitting alcohol and has stayed there ever since.

John Daly’s bad drinking habit caught up with him when he had this mugshot taken in 2007

These days, Daly is living healthier and doesn’t drink like he used to.

Tiger Woods

The greatest golfer of his generation – and perhaps the greatest of all time – has created an image of a bad boy in more ways than one.

A notorious womanizer, Woods lost several sponsors in 2009 after it was revealed he had been involved in extramarital affairs.

After a famous accident outside his Florida home, he was ticketed for reckless driving and treated for facial lacerations.

In 2010, Woods apologized for his actions and made a televised statement saying he had completed a 45-day rehabilitation program in December 2009. In August 2010, he and his wife – Elin Nordegren – divorced.

Woods stayed away from the law for a while until May 2017, when he was arrested around 3 a.m. for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He was found asleep in his car, which was in a lane of traffic, with the engine running.

He admitted to taking prescription medications and did not realize how they would interact.

After participating in an intensive out-of-state program, Woods pleaded guilty and entered a program for first-time offenders while intoxicated. On a second arraignment, Woods was sentenced to one year of probation, a $250 fine and 50 hours of community service as well as regular drug testing.

In 2021, Woods survived a serious rollover accident in which he was driving twice the speed limit. No charges were filed, but Woods suffered multiple leg injuries requiring surgery.

Tiger Woods was arrested for drunk driving in May 2017 after admitting to using drugs.

Since then, Woods has relatively cleaned up the bad boy image he had in the early 2010s.

Angel Cabrera

The 2009 Masters champion was the only person on this list to serve significant prison time due to his crimes.

Cabrera was convicted of assaulting, threatening and harassing his former partner Cecilia Torres Mana in his native Argentina.

He was arrested in Rio de Janeiro in January 2021 after Interpol sent a “red notice” to local authorities saying he had left Argentina without authorization. He was extradited to Argentina in June.

A month later, he was sentenced to two years in prison for assault, theft and unlawful intimidation. The accusations were initially made by Torres Mana, but she was joined by his ex-wife, Silva Rivadero, and another former romantic partner, Micaela Escudero. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

In November 2022, Cabrera was convicted of another assault and sentenced to an additional two years and four months in prison.

But last August, after serving all of his first sentence and only part of his second sentence, Cabrera was released.

He has since been reinstated on the PGA Tour.

Angel Cabrera spent a little over two years in prison for assault, theft and intimidation.

Cabrera fled his home country at one point, but was captured and later extradited.