Once again, police made arrests at a golf tournament, but this time, world number-one golfer Scottie Scheffler was just a bystander. Instead, authorities arrested protesters who disrupted the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., on Sunday.
As Scheffler, Tom Kim, and Akshay Bhatia approached the green on the 18th hole in the final grouping of regulation play, six protesters — including the requisite chick with a buzzcut — ran out onto the green from multiple directions. Some wore t-shirts emblazoned with "NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET" and set off red and white smoke bombs as they descended onto the green.
Scheffler was getting ready for what was potentially the winning putt of the tournament. Watch him shake his head as the protesters and police interrupt play.
Here is the scene of the protestors rushing the green at the Travelers Championship right before Scottie Scheffler takes his potential winning putt. Wild scene pic.twitter.com/CWm4fwgKrH
— Fairway Updates (@fairwayupdates) June 23, 2024
Police acted swiftly, tacking and arresting the disruptors. The gallery rained obscenities onto the protesters and cheered the cops.
Language Warning:
WATCH: Protesters stormed the 18th green at the TPC River Highlands as the leaders were preparing to putt on the final hole of regulation at the 2024 Travelers Championship on Sunday afternoon.
— NBC Connecticut (@NBCConnecticut) June 23, 2024
More: https://t.co/1NTgUdicx4 pic.twitter.com/ZYE8LNQ4cL
Although some reports said that Just Stop Oil was responsible for the stunt, Extinction Rebellion claimed credit. The group said that the protest was in response to a lightning strike that injured two people in a home near the golf course.
"This was of course due to increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather conditions," Extinction Rebellion said in a statement. "Golf, more than other events, is heavily reliant on good weather. Golf fans should therefore understand better than most the need for strong, immediate climate action."
The PGA Tour issued a statement thanking officers “for their quick and decisive action." ESPN reported that the three golfers had noticeably different reactions. Scheffler praised police for taking care of the protesters quickly.
"From my point of view, they got it taken care of pretty dang fast, and so we were very grateful for that," he said. "When something like that happens, you don't really know what's happening, so it can kind of rattle you a little bit. That can be a stressful situation, and you would hate for the tournament to end on something weird happening because of a situation like that. I felt like Tom and I both tried to calm each other down so we could give it our best shot there on 18."
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It’s an easy joke to wonder if Scheffler became a little nervous when he saw police descending on the protesters, considering his recent run-in with law enforcement.
When the climate protestors ran on the green today at the Travelers, I thought for a second Scottie Scheffler might produce a shiv and take a couple of them out. This moron’s lucky to be alive, you can’t startle an ex-con like that.
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) June 24, 2024
pic.twitter.com/7P0JgXqDl5
Hey, if we can’t joke, the protesters have already won.
Kim said the interruption jarred him momentarily, telling the press, "It kind of slowed things down. It took the meaning of the putt away for a second. Because for the past 17½ 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."
It also bothered him that the protesters could have marred the course (the PGA Tour claims that the protesters did no damage), but he was also happy with law enforcement’s response to the stunt.
"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," he said. "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."
"I was scared for my life," Bhatia told reporters. "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."
“Cromwell police said each protester was charged with first-degree criminal mischief, first-degree criminal trespass, and breach of peace,” ESPN reported. “They were released after posting $5,000 bonds, and they are scheduled to appear in court July 1.”
In case you were wondering what happened next, Scheffler and Kim tied and went into a playoff, while Bhatia finished tied for fifth. Scheffler won the playoff round for his record-tying sixth victory in a calendar year as the top-ranked golfer.
Bennett Scheffler is 6 weeks old.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 23, 2024
This is his second trophy ceremony. pic.twitter.com/I8ZKWOc0yk
One thing I’ll never understand is why these people think that disrupting events that people enjoy is the best way to get their point across. Whether they’re trying to deface landmarks, make people late to work, or crash a prominent sporting event, demonstrators like these crazies are angering people more than they’re luring supporters into their cause.
“Let’s inconvenience people and ruin their lives” doesn’t sound like the best strategy for winning people to your side. But whatever — we might as well let them make fools and enemies of themselves.
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