A year after Scottie Scheffler’s arrest, we had to ask: Where are Detective Gillis’ ruined pants?

A year ago, Bryan Gillis, a police officer from Louisville, found himself at the center of one of golf’s strangest stories — and it all started with a pair of pants. These pants, now stored somewhere in his home, became infamous after they were torn during a highly publicized encounter involving the world’s top-ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler.

On that fateful day in May, Gillis was stationed at Gate 1 of Valhalla Country Club, directing traffic on a wet morning before the second round of the PGA Championship. Due to a fatal accident earlier that day, the entrance had been closed. When Scheffler’s car approached, Gillis instructed him to stop, but a miscommunication ensued. Scheffler, apparently unaware, continued driving, leading to an unexpected scuffle. According to the police report, Gillis ended up being dragged to the ground, sustaining injuries to his wrist and knee. His uniform pants, valued at $80, were torn beyond repair.

Despite the ordeal, Scheffler managed to keep his composure, making it to the course just in time for his tee-off. Remarkably, he shot a 66 in the second round, climbing up the leaderboard and turning the bizarre incident into a story that garnered national attention. For Gillis, however, the aftermath was less glamorous. He became the subject of jokes and memes as the “officer with the $80 pants,” a moniker he would hear repeatedly in the months that followed.

In the days after the incident, Gillis received ‘corrective action’ for failing to activate his body camera during the altercation. Meanwhile, Scheffler’s charges were eventually dropped, and life moved on. But the pants — now considered a peculiar piece of sports history — remained in Gillis’ possession. “Oh, I still have them,” he said when contacted recently. “Nobody took them. They’ve always been mine, so they’re still mine.”

But what are those pants worth now? Ryan Carey, president of Golden Age Auctions, speculates that their value could be as high as $20,000, though the exact amount would depend on how they are marketed. “Right after the incident, they could’ve easily gone for $20,000,” Carey said. “Now? Probably closer to $5,000. But if Gillis and Scheffler were to collaborate, maybe even for a charitable cause, they could fetch a lot more.”

Carey likened the pants to other quirky sports memorabilia that have fetched surprising sums. He cited the example of the red sequinned costume worn by figure skater Tonya Harding the day after Nancy Kerrigan was attacked during the 1994 Olympic Trials. That piece of clothing sold for $17,485 in 2024, largely because of the story attached to it. “It’s not about the item itself,” Carey explained. “It’s about the narrative surrounding it.”

Despite the potential windfall, Gillis is hesitant to cash in. The incident led to months of unwanted attention, including harassing phone calls from strangers. Now, he prefers to keep a low profile. “For now, nothing,” he said. “I could in the future. If somebody wanted them and offered me something, maybe yes. I haven’t really put much thought into that.”

Still, the pants remain tucked away, a symbol of a bizarre day when a PGA Championship, a police officer, and the world’s top golfer collided in the most unexpected of ways. And for now, that’s where they’ll stay — crumpled in a box, a quirky memento of a day that neither Gillis nor Scheffler will likely forget.