Akshay Bhatia admitted he was "scared for my life" when climate protesters entered the 18th green at The Travelers Championship on Sunday.
Bhatia - who was in the final group alongside Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler - was preparing to finish off his tournament when a group of Extinction Rebellion activists ran onto the putting surface at TPC River Highlands and began throwing red and white powder all over the ground.
The three golfers quickly moved off to the side while a host of police officers arrived on the scene to apprehend the trespassers. Once the protesters had been taken away, Kim birdied the last to reach a playoff with Scheffler - which the World No.1 went on to win - and Bhatia tapped in for a closing par which helped him achieve a T5 result.
After his round, Bhatia spoke to CBS Sports reporter Amanda Renner about the late incident. Asked what was going through his head at the time, Bhatia replied: "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."
Akshay Bhatia reflects on his finish @TravelersChamp and the incident on the 72nd hole. pic.twitter.com/wRO3PkvcepJune 23, 2024
Earlier in the day, but on the other side of the world, Extinction Rebellion members had delayed the start of the KLM Open on the DP World Tour by blocking the entrance to The International Golf Club in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Many of the activists at both sites had t-shirts on with messages that read: "No golf on a dead planet" - with the group later confirming in a statement that they were not campaigning against the sport specifically and simply trying to raise awareness around the critical state of the world's climate.
The statement said: "On Sunday June 23, in a disruption far less severe than that of any extreme weather event, notably the previous day’s lightning strike, Extinction Rebellion activists interrupted play at Travelers Championship, as Scottie Scheffler was playing at the 18th hole."
"With this action, Extinction Rebellion is NOT protesting any individual or organization. Rather, the protest highlights the worldwide danger of climate breakdown."
For Bhatia, who was involved in the incident at the Travelers Championship, the American stated that the protesters' actions caused him unnecessary concern as he aimed to finish off his one-under final round.
Meanwhile, eventual champion Scheffler called the moment "a bit stressful" but was grateful for law enforcement's rapid response.
Asked if it was even possible to calm down and refocus on his closing shots after such a fright, Bhatia said: "I mean, I was in shock and my heart rate was high. It got low and then once that kind of happened I just freaked out. I just tried get over where everyone was. It was hard to do it, I think it was just weird."
