PGA Tour golf favourite Adam Hadwin took a playful swipe at his own on-course blunder from the past, following an unexpected interruption by Extinction Rebellion activists at the Travelers Championship.
The eco-protestors managed to invade the 18th green at the TPC River Highlands on Sunday, just as the tournament was reaching its dramatic finish. Security personnel and police were swiftly mobilised to contain and apprehend the intruders; a scene that bears striking similarities with an incident involving Hadwin himself at last year’s Canadian Open.
Caught up in a euphoric wave during moments of celebration at Toronto’s Oakdale Golf and Country Club, he had spontaneously joined in cheering for Nick Taylor’s monumental victory – marking the first time in nearly seven decades that a native had triumphed at the national championship.
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Regrettably, amid all the exhilaration, Hadwin neglected one tiny detail – displaying his official credentials. Consequently, a watchful security guard abruptly interrupted his champagne-spraying celebration, tackling him to the ground, before the confusion was gradually resolved.
After this latest act of protest from the Extinction Rebellion group, Hadwin couldn’t resist making light of the situation on X, commenting humorously and referencing his own gaffe (as reported by the Express ): “I’d like to point out that when I was tackled, I held onto the bottle. Unlike this guy,” reports the Mirror.
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(Image: TSN Sports)
The activist he referred to was about to release a bag full of orange powder, only to be intercepted and taken down, leading him to lose hold of the bag in the process. This disruption occurred right as leading contender Scottie Scheffler and closely-following Tom Kim were closing out their final round in Connecticut.
The golfing world watched in awe as Scottie Scheffler kept his cool amidst chaos, clinching victory after a dramatic play-off at the prestigious tournament. Despite a bizarre interruption involving a protester scattering white powder across the green, the integrity of the game remained unscathed no golf balls or markers were touched, and the match resumed after a mere five-minute break.
However, the disruption seemed to rattle Scheffler momentarily, causing him to miss a birdie opportunity. In contrast, his opponent, Kim, capitalised on the moment, sinking a crucial putt to level the playing field.
The green was swiftly cleaned up, and the hole repositioned for the nail-biting play-off, which saw Scheffler emerge victorious with a steady par, while Kim couldn’t recover from a tricky bunker shot. With this win, Scheffler etched his name in the history books, becoming the first golfer to bag six titles before July since the legendary Arnold Palmer in 1962.
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Scheffler’s remarkable season includes triumphs at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players, The Masters, RBC Heritage, and Memorial Tournament, further cementing his position as the world’s top-ranked golfer.
Reflecting on his extraordinary run, Scheffler shared in his post-round interview: “It’s pretty special. It’s been a great season, I’ve been fortunate to come away with some wins and it’s been a lot of fun. Tom played his heart out. He’s a great player, a great champion and it was fun battling with him.”
Addressing the earlier protests, he remarked: “Fortunately for Tom and me we’re great friends so we were able to kind of relax each other. You don’t really understand the situation, there’s people running around everywhere and you don’t really know what’s going to happen, so it’s a bit confusing.”