CNN
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Protesters ran onto the 18th green during the final round of the PGA Tour Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn., on Sunday, leaving a powdery substance on the putting surface and delaying play for several minutes.
A CBS video showed several of the six protesters wearing shirts reading: “No golf on a dead planet.”
Extinction Rebellion, a climate activist group, said it was behind the incident.
Police quickly cleared the protesters, allowing the final group, including leaders Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler, to finish in a draw and advance to the playoffs.
The duo started again on the 18th and Scheffler continued to win.
He said he and Kim helped each other stabilize while police worked quickly.
“You don’t really know what’s going on, you don’t really understand the situation,” Scheffler said in a postgame interview with CBS Sports. “There are people running everywhere and we don’t really know what’s going to happen.”
He praised the police for doing a great job handcuffing and removing protesters.
The protesters were charged with one count each of first-degree criminal mischief, first-degree criminal trespass and breach of peace, according to a news release from the Cromwell Police Department.
They were each released on $5,000 bail and are due in court July 1.
Kim told reporters it was like a dream, but the moment temporarily made him forget the importance of making his putt because he was worried people might get hurt.
In a video posted on social media, police officers can be seen fighting three protesters on the ground. Another protester is approached by a police officer and drops a bag he was holding. Fans can be heard booing and shouting obscenities at the protesters.
Sina Sadri, the 19-year-old fan who recorded the video, said he looked away and when he turned his gaze to the green zone, there was a guy in the bunker.
Scottie Scheffler speaks out on protesters who stormed the 18th green
“I instinctively took out my phone and started recording – and chaos unfolded,” he told CNN.
He described the protesters as using devices that left behind powder, not paint. There was the smell of fireworks in the air, he said.
At the players’ press conference, Scheffler said the initial chaos with people running around was a bit jarring.
“You don’t know if they’re peaceful, you don’t know what they’re doing, you have no idea what’s going on, so it can be a little stressful,” he told reporters .
A senior spokesperson for the PGA Tour told CNN that the protesters were “immediately arrested.”
“The powder on the green was removed, which caused no damage to the 18th green,” Joel Schuchmann said. “Our thanks to the Cromwell Police Department for their quick and decisive action.”
CNN has contacted law enforcement for more information.
In a statement released shortly after the incident, Extinction Rebellion said it was trying to draw attention to climate change.
“With this action, Extinction Rebellion is NOT protesting against any individual or organization. On the contrary, the protest highlights the global danger of climate breakdown,” the group said in its statement.
“Golf, more than other events, is highly dependent on good weather. Golf fans should therefore understand better than anyone the need for strong and immediate climate action,” the group added.
Extinction Rebellion has a reputation for using attention-grabbing tactics. Its activists have made international headlines in past protests, including pouring green dye into Venice’s Grand Canal, gluing themselves to a Picasso painting, smashing bank windows and spraying buildings with fake blood to draw attention to climate issues.
“At this point, the only option left is to engage in unconventional forms of protest that draw attention to the severity of the climate emergency,” the group said in its statement.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Sharif Paget contributed to this report.
News Source : www.cnn.com
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