Protesters face multiple charges after delaying Travelers

CROMWELL, Conn. — Six weather protesters stormed the 18th green as tournament leaders planned the final hole of regulation at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship on Sunday, delaying the finish nearly five minutes.

Protesters swarmed around the green and waved smoke bombs that left white and red debris on the putting green before Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia finished their rounds. Some of the protesters wore white t-shirts with “NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET” written in black on the front.

Cromwell police said each protester was charged with first-degree criminal mischief, trespassing and breach of peace. They were released after posting $5,000 bonds, and are expected to appear in court on July 1.

“I was afraid for my life,” said Bhatia after finishing tied for fifth place. “I didn’t even know what was really going on.

“But we’re thankful that the police were there to keep us safe, because you know, it’s a strange thing.”

The crowd around the 18th green drove the protesters into a frenzy by shouting and cheering for the police to intervene.

The PGA Tour released a statement thanking the Cromwell Police Department for its “quick and decisive action” and noted that there was no damage to the 18th hole. Scheffler also praised the police.

“In my opinion, they made it too fast, so we really appreciated that,” said Scheffler, the world No. 1 who later beat Kim in a sudden-death playoff for his sixth victory. of the year.

“When something like that happens, you don’t really know what’s going on, so it can be a bit overwhelming. That can be a stressful situation, and you’d hate for a tournament to end in a surprise situation because of a stressful situation. A situation like that, I felt like Tom, we both tried to calm each other down so we could give you the best shot there. -18.”

Extinction Rebellion, an activist group with a history of disrupting events around the world, says it is the protest. In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, the group blamed climate change for Saturday’s lightning storm that injured two people at a home near the TPC River Highlands golf course.

“This was due to the unpredictable and severe weather,” the statement read. “Golf, more than any other event, is very dependent on good weather. Therefore, golf fans should understand better than the need to act strongly and the weather quickly.”

After the protesters were cleared by police and left, Scheffler left the clincher 26 feet from the right edge of the cup and tapped in for par. Kim, who trailed by 1 stroke heading into the final hole, sank a 10-foot birdie putt to tie Scheffler and send the tournament into a playoff.

Kim said the protest took his mind off the stress.

“It slowed things down,” he said. “It took the definition of the putt away for a second. Because for the last 17½ holes, all you think about is golf, and all of a sudden, when that happens, your mind goes completely — like, you almost. I didn’t even play golf and I thought it was a dream for a second.”

After the players came out, the lawnmowers came out to clean up the remaining powder, and the hole was cleared for the playoff, which began on No. 18. Scheffler hit Kim with a par on the first hole. death.

“They left a lot of marks on the green, which is bad for us players — especially when two guys are trying to win a golf tournament,” Kim said. “But I’m very grateful to the tour and tour security for handling that well and making us players feel very safe.”

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.