Several climate protesters briefly disrupted the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, on Sunday.
Video posted to social media showed the demonstrators run onto the 18th green and release a red or white powdery substance as players watched.
The Associated Press reported the event was delayed for about five minutes as police intervened and the crowd heckled the activists.
Images from the venue showed that some of the demonstrators wore a white shirt that read “NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET.”
A climate group called Extinction Rebellion took responsibility for the incident, according to CNN.
Cromwell police said each protester was charged with first-degree criminal mischief, first-degree criminal trespass, and breach of peace.
ESPN noted that the protesters were released on a bond of $5,000 and are scheduled to appear in court on July 1.
The PGA Tour said the powder was removed with no damage to the green and thanked Cromwell police for their “quick and decisive action.”
First-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler, who ended up winning the event, said players were “grateful” that law enforcement responded so fast.
“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.
Scheffler added that he and a fellow golfer, Tom Kim, “both tried to calm each other down so we could give it our best shot there on 18.”
Akshay Bhatia, another participant in the championship, said he was “scared” for his life as he, too, did not know what was happening.
“But thankfully, the cops were there and kept us safe, because that’s, you know, that’s just weird stuff,” he said.
Climate activists have made headlines for vandalizing monuments, works of art, and more in places around the world.
Last week, protesters demonstrating against fossil fuels spray-painted Stonehenge in the United Kingdom with an orange substance.
Extinction Rebellion said in a statement that the PGA protest was meant to highlight “the worldwide danger of climate breakdown.”
Noting golf is “heavily reliant on good weather,” the group said fans should “understand better than most the need for strong, immediate climate action.”
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[[{“value”:”
Several climate protesters briefly disrupted the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, on Sunday.
Video posted to social media showed the demonstrators run onto the 18th green and release a red or white powdery substance as players watched.
The Associated Press reported the event was delayed for about five minutes as police intervened and the crowd heckled the activists.
Images from the venue showed that some of the demonstrators wore a white shirt that read “NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET.”
A climate group called Extinction Rebellion took responsibility for the incident, according to CNN.
Cromwell police said each protester was charged with first-degree criminal mischief, first-degree criminal trespass, and breach of peace.
ESPN noted that the protesters were released on a bond of $5,000 and are scheduled to appear in court on July 1.
The PGA Tour said the powder was removed with no damage to the green and thanked Cromwell police for their “quick and decisive action.”
First-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler, who ended up winning the event, said players were “grateful” that law enforcement responded so fast.
“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.
Scheffler added that he and a fellow golfer, Tom Kim, “both tried to calm each other down so we could give it our best shot there on 18.”
Akshay Bhatia, another participant in the championship, said he was “scared” for his life as he, too, did not know what was happening.
“But thankfully, the cops were there and kept us safe, because that’s, you know, that’s just weird stuff,” he said.
Climate activists have made headlines for vandalizing monuments, works of art, and more in places around the world.
Last week, protesters demonstrating against fossil fuels spray-painted Stonehenge in the United Kingdom with an orange substance.
Extinction Rebellion said in a statement that the PGA protest was meant to highlight “the worldwide danger of climate breakdown.”
Noting golf is “heavily reliant on good weather,” the group said fans should “understand better than most the need for strong, immediate climate action.”
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