No one in the golf world would be unaware of the disruption on the 18th green during the Travelers Championship. While the excitement was all-time high as Scottie Scheffler, and others displayed brilliant golfing skills, there was no denying that the hocus pocus at TPC River Highland’s 18th green witnessed six climate activists barged in with paint spray cans.  Everyone seemed to have been caught off guard by this disruption including the T5 finisher Akshay Bhatia who was “scared for his life.”

After the shocking incident, Bhatia relived the moment and shared how he felt during the fiasco. In an interview with CBS’s Amanda Balionis, Bhatia said, “I was scared for my life. I didn’t even really know what was happening. All of a sudden, four, or five people come out running on the green. I mean, it was kind of weird.” 

However, Bhatia appreciated the immediate action taken by the cops and thanked them for keeping the golfers and their caddies safe on the greens. Additionally, the 1-time PGA Tour winner expressed that it took him a little time to lower his heightened heartbeat but by then he was worried about the other people on the course.

After Bhatia shared his troubled emotions from the disruptive moment, the golf world too chimed in with their opinions. While many expressed that it wasn’t a really scary moment and there was nothing to be fearful about, a few others called out the Jay Monahan-led league’s weakened security responsible for the incident and advised them to do better.

Netizens react as Akshay Bhatia shares his ‘weird’ experience, blaming the Monahan-led league 

Since the PGA Tour announced the merger with PIF, Jay Monahan has been under fire by the golf world. Adding to it, the decreasing TV rating for the PGA Tour event had also made the netizens point fingers at Monahan for not doing well enough now. Now, by the disruptive incident, the PGA Tour’s commissionaire’s leadership was again questioned. This fan berating Monahan said, “THE @PGATOUR NEEDS EXTREMELY BETTER SECURITY! This is ridiculous @JayMonahanTPC players could have been killed. What a joke you’ve made the tour into.” 

Another user was utterly shocked by the protesters jumping on the greens and endangering everyone’s safety. They recalled an incident of popular tennis star Monica Seles when she was stabbed by an onlooker on her back in a 1993 match. The user wondered if it was that easy for six people to be on the greens, the scary situation could’ve been a reality at TPC River Highlands too. They commented, “Wow! I have wondered about the possibility of someone storming the green to attack golfers. A pro tennis player was stabbed years ago. @PGATOUR needs to sure up security.” 

As with all things, the PGA Tour has always been compared to its arch-rival, LIV Golf, since the breakaway league was started in 2022. This time as well, when the people on the greens were unsafe, this fan noted that no such incident had occurred at the LIV events, taunting that their security was better. They said, “These things don’t happen at @livgolf_league events.” 

In many sports like basketball, football, or soccer, fans running on the ground to meet their favorite players has been kind of a norm. Although they do get tackled by security, it rarely happens in a golf tournament. Thus, Bhatia’s shock was expected. However, this viewer suggested the PGA Tour pro to not be this scared. They stated, “As an athlete you have to know that this is a possibility, it’s the same as someone running across the field at a baseball game. Guy needs to relax.” 

At every PGA Tour event, including the one at TPC River Highland, the patrons are expected to go through a security check before entering. But the six climate activists somehow entered the course with paint cans without any security notice. This made one fan speculate and accuse the PGA Tour’s security. They doubtfully said, “WHO LET THEM IN??? They couldn’t have come through security carrying cans of paint and smoke bombs …. INSIDE JOB.” 

It was truly a traumatic experience for the players and caddies present at the 18th hole as the whole incident affected the golfer’s mindset and momentum. As a viewer, what was your first reaction to it? Share it in the comments.