Six individuals advocating for climate action disrupted the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship on Sunday by storming the 18th green during the final hole of regulation, causing a delay of approximately five minutes.
The protesters sprayed white and red powder on the green, leaving stains, while Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim, and Akshay Bhatia were completing their rounds. One protester wore a white T-shirt with “NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET” printed in black on the front.
“I was scared for my life,” said Bhatia, who finished tied for fifth, four strokes behind Scheffler, the eventual winner. “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.”
Following the incident, Scheffler narrowly missed a 26-foot putt for victory, settling for par. Kim, trailing by one stroke, sank a 10-foot birdie putt to force a sudden-death playoff.
“It kind of slowed things down,” Kim reflected. “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 reacted with profanities towards the protesters and cheered the police who quickly intervened.
After regulation play, workers used leaf blowers to clean the remaining powder from the green, and the hole location was adjusted for the playoff which began on No. 18. Scheffler ultimately defeated Kim with a par on the first playoff hole.
“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 emphasized. “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.”
