Protestors Storm 18th Green at Travelers Championship

The Travelers Championship ended with an exciting showdown between Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim.

Kim made a fantastic shot, needing a birdie to tie with Scheffler, but then Extinction Rebellion protestors interrupted by storming the 18th green and covering it in chalk-like substance.

#WATCH: Multiple Just Stop Oil protesters STORM the 18th green at TPC River Highlands (via @SchefflerLegion)pic.twitter.com/qtcwVBAoj9

🚨🎨🛢️#WATCH: Multiple Just Stop Oil protesters STORM the 18th green at TPC River Highlands (via @SchefflerLegion)

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF)

Earlier that Sunday, Extinction Rebellion blocked the entrance to the International Golf Club at the KLM Open. The police had to step in, causing a two-hour delay for the final group. At Travelers Championship though, play resumed after about ten minutes as Connecticut Police arrested those involved.

Protest Message:

The protestors wore shirts saying “No golf on a dying planet” and spread red and white chalk on the final green. Afterward, Extinction Rebellion released a statement explaining their actions were less severe than extreme weather events like lightning strikes. They emphasized they weren’t targeting any person or organization but wanted to highlight global climate issues.

Fans might think these protests are becoming too frequent at sports events.

Following this disruption, Scheffler missed his birdie putt while Kim succeeded in making his birdie to tie with Scheffler. This led them into a playoff round where officials decided to cut a new hole away from the damaged area on TPC River Highlands’ 18th hole. Eventually, Scheffler emerged victorious.

This isn’t new; similar protests happened before at other golf events like The Open at Royal Liverpool and AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath in 2023. Arrests were made during those incidents too. Just Stop Oil has also disrupted other sports such as World Snooker Championships, Wimbledon tennis matches, and an Ashes Test cricket match at Lord’s.

What do you think about all these protests?