(Matthew Doarnberger, Headline USA) Golf fans may have hoped for an exciting finish to the Travelers Championship PGA tournament on Sunday, but the “green new deal” that transpired was more than many had bargained for, according to Golf.com.
As the three leaders of the event approached the 18th green on the final day of the tournament in Cromwell, Connecticut, six environmental protesters stormed the course and disrupted play.
The activists proceeded to wave smoke bombs that left white and red residue on the putting surface, while some wore T-shirts that read “no golf on a dead planet.”
All of the protesters were subsequently apprehended by the authorities who were providing security for the event.
The PGA Tour issued a statement thanking the Cromwell Police Department “for their quick and decisive action” while citing that no damage was able to be done to the green that would have affected the course itself.
The three golfers playing the hole appeared in footage to be annoyed and bemused by the disruption, but said later that they were more fearful than they let on.
“I was scared for my life, I didn’t even really know what was happening,” said golfer Akshay Bhatia. “… But, thankfully, the cops were there and kept us safe, because that’s, you know, that’s just weird stuff.”
Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, expressed how unsettling the whole incident was.
“When something like that happens, you don’t really know what’s happening, so it can kind of rattle you a little bit,” he said. “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.”
The final golfer of the group, Tom Kim, also talked about how bizarre the situation felt.
“You’re almost not even playing golf anymore,” he said. “I thought it was a dream for a second.”
The environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion has claimed responsibility for the protest.
The organization has a reputation for disrupting various events around the world. In a statement, they blamed climate change for an electrical storm that injured two people at a home near the course on Saturday.
“This was, of course, due to increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather conditions,” it said in a statement, according to CNN.
“Golf, more than other events, is heavily reliant on good weather,” it added. “Golf fans should therefore understand better than most the need for strong, immediate climate action.”
Activists have become more brazen in recent days, defacing the ancient Stonehenge monument in Great Britain and disrupting the Congressional Baseball Game in Washington, D.C.
Many remain puzzled as to why they believe their negative and destructive behavior will persuade anyone to follow their cause.
It ultimately took less than two minutes to clear the protesters off the course. After the golfers finished putting, employees of the course brought leaf blowers to clear off the remaining residue powder. Scheffler went on to win the tournament in a one-hole playoff.
