A small group of protesters disrupted the final round of the PGA Tour Travelers Championship on Sunday, storming the 18th hole and vandalizing the green. As smoke filled the area, police quickly subdued and arrested the individuals. Golf analyst Jim Nantz reported that four or five protesters interrupted the game just as the leader, Scottie Scheffler, and second-place contender, Tom Kim, were about to putt.
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Despite the chaos, Tom Kim managed to birdie the hole, while Scottie Scheffler made par, forcing a playoff to decide the tournament’s winner. The protesters, who were believed to be affiliated with the environmental group Just Stop Oil, were handcuffed and led away, but the powdery substance they left behind remained on the green. Play resumed shortly after the interruption, adding an unexpected twist to the tournament and bringing attention to broader environmental issues in the midst of professional golf.
This incident is yet another in a series of unusual events for the PGA Tour in 2024, a year the organization would likely prefer to forget. Earlier in the year, two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested for allegedly dragging an officer while trying to flee the scene of a fatal accident before the second round of the PGA Championship. The officer involved faced “corrective action” for not having his body-worn camera activated, and charges against Scheffler were eventually dropped due to insufficient evidence.