WATCH: Climate activists crash the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands with smoke grenades and spray paint

Travelers Championship - Final Round
2024 Travelers Championship - Final Round (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Climate change protestors crashed the final round of the 2024 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. The tournament concluded on Sunday, June 23, 2024.

At the 18th hole, six climate protesters rushed onto the 18th green when Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia were getting ready for their crucial putts. The protestors barging in led to the game being halted for five minutes.

The 'Just Stop Oil' protestors left a trail of white and red residue with smoke grenades and spray paint on the putting surface. The video of the incident can be watched below:

The protestors were arrested by law enforcement and the powder on the green was removed instantly. The PGA Tour thanked the Cromwell Police Department for their "quick & decisive action."

The protestors wore T-shirts saying "NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET." Extinction Rebellion took responsibility for the protest. Their statement said (via Live5News):

"This was of course due to increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather conditions. Golf, more than other events, is heavily reliant on good weather. Golf fans should therefore understand better than most the need for strong, immediate climate action."

The group attributed the perils of climate change to lightning at the golf course which led to two people being hospitalized during the third round of the Travelers Championship on Saturday. The incident happened in the area of 6 Pierson Green near the fifth green at the TPC River Highlands.

The third round was halted because of weather conditions for around 3 hours from 3.30 PM ET to 6:19 PM ET. The incident happened during the halted time. As per the statement of Cromwell Fire Department:

"On arrival, first responders identified a tree struck by lightning and 3 patients near the strike. EMS crew treated two patients who were transported to area hospitals for further evaluation, and one patient who refused treatment."

Akshay Bhatia says he was 'scared for his life' after climate protestors halted the game at the Travelers Championship

The incident of Climate Change protestors crashing the 2024 Travelers Championship in the final moments of the game created a sense of disarray. Akshay Bhatia said (via Golf Digest):

"I mean, I was scared for my life. I didn't even really know what was happening. All of a sudden, four, five people come out running on the green. Yeah, I mean, it was kind of weird. But thankfully the cops were there and kept us safe, because that's, you know, that's just weird stuff."

The winner of the 2024 Travelers Championship Scottie Scheffler thanked the officials for taking care of the "stressful situation". He said (via Live5News):

"From my point of view, they got it taken care of pretty dang fast, and so we were very grateful for that. When something like that happens, you don’t really know what’s happening, so it can kind of rattle you a little bit."

The World No. 1 said that it was a "stressful situation" and that he and Tom Kim tried to calm each other down to perform their best on the 18th hole. The runner-up Tom Kim said that the protest slowed things down and it felt like a dream to him. He said (via Live5News):

"It took the meaning of the putt away for a second. Because for the past 17 and a half holes all you’re thinking about is golf, and suddenly when that happens your mind goes into a complete — like, you’re almost not even playing golf anymore. I thought it was a dream for a second."

Scottie Scheffler won the tournament on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff at Travelers Championship against Tom Kim. Scheffler registered his sixth win of the 2024 season and took home $3.6 million of the total $20 million purse.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer
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