A number of environmental activists were arrested after disruptive protests at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Protesters brandished smoke bombs and left white and red debris on the putting green before golfers including Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim finished their rounds.
Protesters from the climate change group Extinction Rebellion claimed responsibility for the incident. Social media He goes on to claim that “you can’t play golf on a dead planet.”
“We disrupted the #TravelersChampionship to remind everyone that there’s no golf on #DeadPlanet. Act now!,” the group wrote. Activists at the golf tournament also wore white T-shirts with the same message in black letters.
The protesters arrested After being taken into custody by officers, the suspects were each charged with first-degree criminal destruction, first-degree criminal trespass and disturbing the peace. ESPNThe suspect was released on $5,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on July 1, 2024.
“I thought my life was in danger… I didn’t even really know what was going on.”
The protest group released a statement to the Associated Press: Lightning strikes He cited a thunderstorm that had struck a tree the previous day as a reason for the urgent climate-related policy change.
“This is of course due to increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather conditions. Golf is more dependent on the weather than any other sport, so golf fans should understand more than anyone the need for strong and immediate climate action,” the group said.
Confusingly, the group encouraged golfers to share their ideas to create suitable weather conditions for golf, while at the same time condemning the existence of the sport.
“Golf is an environmental disaster – with its reckless use of water, its carbon-intensive fertilisers and its deforestation. But before we can delve into that, we need to agree on the underlying reality of the climate disaster happening all around us, every moment of every day,” the campaigners said in a statement on the same day. X.
Scheffler, the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, said he felt police and course officials “responded pretty quickly.”
“When something like this happens it’s a little bit upsetting because you don’t really know what’s going on. It can be a stressful situation and you’d hate for something weird to happen and end your tournament because of a situation like this. Tom [Kim] “Myself and I just tried to keep each other calm and that allowed us to play our best on the 18th hole,” Scheffler added.
Fellow golfer Askay Bhatia said he felt scared and confused during the incident.
“I felt fear for my life. I didn’t even know what was going on. But thankfully the police were there to protect us, because it was, you know, weird,” Bhatia added after finishing in fifth place.
in press releaseExtinction Rebellion quoted golfer Rory McIlroy as saying:We take climate change seriously.“
McIlroy said he felt a “strong sense of guilt” after flying home from China in 2021 on a private jet.
The PGA Tour thanked the Cromwell Police Department for its “swift and decisive action” at the tournament, noting that there was no damage to the 18th hole green.
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