Six climate protesters stormed the 18th green during the final round of the PGA’s Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, on Sunday, leaving a powdery substance on the putting surface and delaying the event. The interruption occurred as the final pairing of golfers, Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler, were finishing the hole.
Police worked to remove the protesters in a timely manner to allow the match to conclude.
The group of protesters were from the environmentalist group Extinction Rebellion, according to the Daily Mail. Members of the protest were seen wearing anti-climate change messages on their t-shirts, including one that read “no golf on a dead planet.” In a post-match interview with CBS Sports, Scheffler described the confusion caused by the protesters’ actions.
“You don’t really know what is going on, you don’t really understand the situation,” Scheffler said. “There’s people running around everywhere and you don’t really know what’s going to happen.” Scheffler praised the police for their swift response in handcuffing and removing the protesters from the green, allowing the tournament to continue without further incident.
Following the protest, Extinction Rebellion released a statement claiming they were attempting to highlight the “worldwide danger of climate breakdown.”
“With this action, Extinction Rebellion is NOT protesting any individual or organization,” the group said in its statement. “Rather, the protest highlights the worldwide danger of climate breakdown.”
