Scottie Scheffler wins 6th victory of the year, despite protest on 18th green

Scottie Scheffler needed to wait out a local weather protest on the 18th inexperienced and Tom Kim’s tying birdie on the final gap of regulation.

These occasions solely delayed what appears to be inevitable on the PGA Tour this season: the most effective golfer on the planet strolling off with the trophy.

Shrugging off a protest that interrupted the event on the 72nd gap whereas the leaders had been lining up their putts, Scheffler received the Vacationers Championship on the primary gap of sudden loss of life on Sunday for his sixth win of the 12 months, probably the most in a single season on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods had six in 2009.

“When one thing like that occurs, you don’t actually know what’s occurring, so it could actually sort of rattle you just a little bit,” Scheffler mentioned.

Six local weather protesters stormed the 18th inexperienced whereas the leaders had been lining up their putts for the ultimate gap of regulation on the PGA Tour’s Vacationers Championship on Sunday, spraying smoke and powder and delaying the end for about 5 minutes.

The protesters waved smoke bombs that left white and crimson residue on the placing floor earlier than Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia completed their rounds. Some wore white T-shirts with the phrases “NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET” in black lettering on the entrance.

“I used to be scared for my life,” Bhatia mentioned. “I didn’t even actually know what was occurring. … However fortunately the cops had been there and stored us secure, as a result of that’s, you understand, that’s simply bizarre stuff.”

The PGA Tour issued a press release thanking the Cromwell Police Division “for his or her fast and decisive motion” and noting that there was no injury to the 18th inexperienced that affected both the tip of regulation or the playoff gap.

Scheffler, who was arrested throughout a site visitors cease on the PGA Championship, additionally praised the officers.

“From my viewpoint, they bought it taken care of fairly dang quick, and so we had been very grateful for that,” mentioned Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 participant, who beat Kim on the primary gap of a sudden-death playoff for his sixth victory of the 12 months.

“That may be a worrying state of affairs, and you’d hate for the event to finish on one thing bizarre occurring due to a state of affairs like that,” Scheffler mentioned. “I felt like Tom and I each tried to calm one another down so we might give it our greatest shot there on 18.”

Extinction Riot, an activist group with a historical past of disrupting occasions world wide, claimed duty for the protest. In a press release emailed to The Related Press, the group blamed local weather change for {an electrical} storm that injured two folks at a house close to the course on Saturday.

“This was after all as a consequence of more and more unpredictable and excessive climate situations,” the assertion mentioned. “Golf, greater than different occasions, is closely reliant on good climate. Golf followers ought to subsequently perceive higher than most the necessity for robust, rapid local weather motion.”

After the protesters had been tackled by police and brought off, Scheffler left a possible 26-foot clincher from the perimeter on the best fringe of the cup, then tapped in for par. Kim, who trailed by one stroke heading into the ultimate gap, sank a 10-foot birdie putt to tie Scheffler and power the playoff.

Kim mentioned the protest took his thoughts off the stress.

“It sort of slowed issues down,” he mentioned. “It took the that means of the putt away for a second. As a result of for the previous 17 and a half holes all you’re fascinated by is golf, and instantly when that occurs your thoughts goes into a whole — like, you’re nearly not even taking part in golf anymore. I believed it was a dream for a second.”

The group surrounding the 18th inexperienced heckled the protesters by yelling profanities and cheered the police who intervened. After the gamers putted out in regulation, employees with leaf blowers got here out to wash off the remaining powder.

The opening location was moved for the playoff, which was additionally on No. 18. Scheffler parred the primary gap of sudden loss of life to win.

“They left plenty of marks on the greens, which isn’t proper for us gamers — particularly when two guys are attempting to win a golf event,” Kim mentioned. “However I’m very grateful for the tour and the tour safety for dealing with that basically effectively and making us gamers really feel so much safer.”