7:11 AM PT -- Scottie Scheffler just teed off -- receiving a huge ovation from the crowd as he began his first hole of the day.

The drive was far from his best -- it landed in the rough ... although it certainly wasn't a bad shot -- especially considering how his morning went down.

6:53 AM PT -- Scottie Scheffler just released a statement on his arrest -- and he says it was all just one big misunderstanding.

He said the situation was "chaotic" -- "understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier" -- and he thought cops were telling him to do one thing, when they were actually instructing him to do another.

"I never intended to disregard any of the instructions," he said. "I'm hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today."

Scheffler added thoughts and prayers for the man who lost his life in the accident earlier Friday.

"It truly puts everything in perspective," he said.

6:49 AM PT -- Scottie Scheffler is gearing up to play his PGA Championship second round after all ... he's currently out on the range warming up -- and looks poised to make his 10:08 ET tee time.

Scottie Scheffler -- the world's best golfer -- was arrested on Friday morning as he tried to make his way into the PGA Championship in Louisville, Ky.

According to jail records, the 27-year-old was booked at 7:28 AM on four separate charges -- felony assault of a police officer, misdemeanor criminal mischief, misdemeanor reckless driving, and misdemeanor disregarding signals from officers directing traffic.

The records show he has since been released ... but it's unclear if he'll now be able to take part in the major event's second round. He had been scheduled to tee off at 10:08 AM -- after he carded a 4-under 67 in Thursday's first round.

Scheffler did, however, just arrive back at Valhalla Country Club -- an indication he wants to tee it up despite everything that happened in the AM. He did not speak with reporters as he entered the clubhouse ... although he did tell one journalist he loved him.

Further details surrounding Scheffler's arrest were not made immediately available. We've reached out to cops for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

There had been a greater police presence in the area outside of the club after authorities said a man was struck and killed by a shuttle bus near the course earlier Friday morning. ESPN's Jeff Darlington -- who watched Scheffler get hauled away by two separate police officers -- stated he witnessed the top-ranked golfer try to get around the police presence by driving on a median.

Darlington reported cops tried to get Scheffler to stop, but he continued to make his way to the entrance of the club regardless. However, after driving for several more yards, Scheffler did stop his ride, and cops pulled him out of it and put him in cuffs, according to Darlington.

At one point, as he was being taken to a squad car, Scheffler could be heard on video asking for someone to help him.

Scheffler headed into this weekend's tournament as a big favorite -- after he won the year's first major, the Masters, back in early April.