Scottie Scheffler was prepared to take legal action over Louisville police arrest before felony assault charges were dropped: 'There was a ton of evidence in our favor'

Scottie Scheffler was prepared to take legal action against Louisville police had charges from his May 17 arrest not been dropped, the world's No. 1 golfer revealed Tuesday.

Speaking publicly for the first time since charges against him were dropped last week, Scheffler explained that he didn't want to file a lawsuit, but said he and attorney Steve Romines were prepared to do so following his arrest for second-degree assault of a police officer. 

'That was something that if we needed to use it, I think Steve was more than ready to use that, just because, like I said, there was a ton of evidence in our favor,' Scheffler said Tuesday, as quoted by SI.com, at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.

'There was eyewitnesses on the scene that corroborated my story and the video evidence, the police officer talking to me after. All the evidence pointed to exactly what my side of the story was, and so if we needed to... I don't really know how to describe it, but basically, if I had to show up in court, I think Steve was more than prepared to pursue legal action.'

Scheffler had faced four charges, including felony second-degree assault of a police officer, following the dramatic events of May 17 when he was arrested and led away in handcuffs upon arrival for the second round of the PGA Championship. The 27-year-old was accused of speeding away in his car when told to pull over by officers  and dragging Louisville Police Detective Bryan Gillis to the ground in the process - but security footage failed to corroborate those claims. 

Louisville police released several videos from the incident. However, neither  shows Scheffler dragging Gillis to the ground, as is alleged in a police citation.

Although Scheffler previously accused Gillis of hitting him with a flashlight during the arrest, the world's No. 1 golfer said he didn't want to put the city of Louisville through a difficult legal process by filing a lawsuit. 

'But at the end of the day, I did not want to have to pursue legal action against Louisville because the people of Louisville are then going to have to pay for the mistakes of their police department, and that just doesn't seem right,' he said. 

'So at no point did I ever want to sue them, but if it came there, I think my lawyer was more than prepared to use that as more of like a bargaining chip-type thing more than anything.'

Last week, however, Scheffler was cleared of all charges after the Jefferson County Attorney's office filed a motion to dismiss the case, admitting his claim that it was simply all one big misunderstanding is now 'corroborated by the evidence'.

In light of that outcome, Gillis released a statement praising the golf star for agreeing to move on from the incident himself, while also paying respect to the family of John Mills - the 69-year-old who was struck by a bus and killed outside Valhalla, which created the traffic problems that led to Scheffler's arrest. 

'A tragic incident occurred, and the family of Mr. Mills remains in my family's thoughts and prayers,' he said about the fatal collision, which caused the traffic pile-up that led to Scheffler's arrest. 'This was a chaotic situation for everyone involved. Ensuring the safety of everyone in the vicinity was my utmost priority.

'Mr. Scheffler and I both agree that there will be no ill will over this going forward. Instead of giving a negative public reaction, he chose to speak with dignity, humility and respect. My family and I appreciate that.'