Six folks protesting climate change stormed the 18th green whereas the leaders had been lining up their putts on the ultimate gap of regulation on the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship on Sunday, delaying the end for about 5 minutes.
The protesters sprayed white and purple powder, leaving stains on the grass earlier than Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia completed their rounds. At least one member of the group was sporting a white T-shirt with the phrases “NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET” in black lettering on the entrance.
Scottie Scheffler gained the championship in a playoff, ready out a disruption for his sixth victory of the 12 months. That’s probably the most wins in a single PGA Tour season since Tiger Woods had six in 2009. And Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked participant, nonetheless has two months to go.
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“I was scared for my life,” Bhatia mentioned concerning the protesters after ending in a tie for fifth — 4 strokes behind Scheffler, who earned his sixth victory of the 12 months. “I didn’t even really know what was happening. … But thankfully the cops were there and kept us safe, because that’s, you know, that’s just weird stuff.”
After the protesters had been tackled by police and taken off, Scheffler left a possible 26-foot clincher from the perimeter on the best fringe of the cup, then tapped in for par. Kim, who trailed by one stroke heading into the ultimate gap, sank a 10-foot birdie putt to tie Scheffler and ship the match to a sudden-death playoff.
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Kim mentioned the protest took his thoughts off the stress.
“It kind of slowed things down,” he mentioned. “It took the meaning of the putt away for a second. Because for the past 17 and a half holes all you’re thinking about is golf, and suddenly when that happens your mind goes into a complete — like, you’re almost not even playing golf anymore. I thought it was a dream for a second.”
The crowd surrounding the 18th green heckled the protesters by yelling profanities and cheered the police who intervened.
The Cromwell Police Department Sunday night confirmed six protesters, starting from age 25 to 55, had been arrested. All had been charged with felony mischief, felony trespass and breach of peace. “The reason for their protesting will not be released, as the department does not want to give their cause any more attention than what has already been received,” police mentioned.Â
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After the gamers putted out in regulation, staff with leaf blowers got here out to wash off the remaining powder, and the outlet location was moved for the playoff, which started on No. 18. Scheffler beat Kim with a par on the primary playoff gap.
“They left a lot of marks on the greens, which is not right for us players — especially when two guys are trying to win a golf tournament,” Kim mentioned. “But I’m very grateful for the tour and the tour security for handling that really well and making us players feel a lot safer.”
Scheffler’s victory got here just a few weeks after prosecutors dropped criminal charges towards him on May 29, lower than two weeks after he was arrested exterior the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.
Scheffler was initially charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree felony mischief, reckless driving and disregarding indicators from officers directing visitors when he was arrested exterior Louisville’s Valhalla Golf Club, which was internet hosting the match.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell advised a decide his workplace could not transfer ahead with the costs towards the world’s high golfer primarily based on the evidence and he moved to dismiss the case.
After the costs had been dropped, Scheffler said on social media that he did not maintain any unwell will towards the detective who arrested him.
