Scheffler survives the protest, defeats Kim to beat the Travelers in the playoffs

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler had to wait out a climate change protest on the 18th green and Tom Kim’s birdie putt on the final hole in regulation.

These events have only delayed what seems to be inevitable on the PGA Tour this season: the best golfer in the world walking away with the trophy.

Shrugging off a protest that interrupted the tournament on the 72nd hole as the leaders lined up their holeshots, Scheffler won the Travelers Championship on the first sudden-death hole on Sunday for his sixth win of the year, the most in a season since 2015. PGA Tour since Tiger Woods had six in 2009.

“When something like this happens, you don’t really know what’s going on, so it can shake you up a little bit,” Scheffler said.

“This can be a stressful situation and you’d hate for the tournament to end with something weird happening because of a situation like that,” he said. “Tom and I both tried to calm each other down so we could give it our best chance out there on the 18th.”

Scheffler finished with a 5-under 65 and 22-under 258 at TPC River Highlands, and Kim matched him with a 66 in the final round.

Tom Hoge and Sungjae Im tied for third, two shots back, with Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Justin Thomas and Akshay Bhatia tied for fifth at 18 under. Bhatia was also in the last group to be disrupted by the protest.

“I was afraid for my life,” he said. “I didn’t even really know what was going on. … But luckily the cops were there and kept us safe, because that’s, you know, just weird stuff.”

It was Scheffler’s fourth win of the year in the $20 million, limited-edition tournament, giving him a $3.6 million payday. He also won the Masters Championship and The Players.

And Scheffler still has two months to go.

“As much as I love him, I would have loved to take that away from him,” said Kim, who shares a birthday and a friendship with Scheffler. “But I’m happy for him and after I tapped, after he tapped, he said some really nice words and it meant a lot to me.”

Scheffler had a one-shot lead heading to the 18th green Sunday when six men stormed the course, waving smoke bombs that left a red and white powdery residue on the putting surface. Some wore white T-shirts with the words “NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET” in black letters.

They were approached by the police and taken away.

Activist group Extinction Rebellion, which has a history of disruptive events around the world, claimed responsibility for the protest. In a statement emailed to The Associated Press, the group blamed climate change for an electrical storm that injured two people at a home near the course on Saturday.

After a delay of about five minutes as tournament officials used towels and blowers to remove dust and any other signs that might affect play, Scheffler left a 26-foot putt off the edge of the cup and hit for par.

Kim then birdied a 10-foot putt for a 66 to tie Scheffler.

“Obviously it’s a disruption and you don’t want that to happen, but it kind of slowed things down for me,” Kim said. “He took away the significance of the putt for a second. Because for the last 17 and a half holes, all you think about is golf, and all of a sudden, when that happens, your mind fills in – like, you’re almost not even playing golf anymore. I thought it was a dream for a second.”

The location of the hole on the 18th was moved for the playoff to avoid parts of the green affected by the protesters.

Scheffler hit playoff approach to 11 feet while Kim found a greenside bunker. Kim’s blast from a plugged lie went 36 feet past the hole, leaving Scheffler with an easy two-putt for the win. Afterwards, his wife, Meredith, met him on the green, wearing their 6-week-old son, Bennett.

“It’s fun to compete against your friends,” Scheffler said. “But at the same time, it’s difficult. Because part of me wants him to miss the putt and part of me wants him to make the putt. … But he should remember that putt he made on 18, because it was pretty special. And he’s a great player and a great champion.”

From a tie for 41st at the US Open – by far his worst finish of the year – Scheffler trailed Kim by three shots after the first round, two after the second round and one heading into Sunday’s tee.

Scheffler took a one-shot lead over Kim with three straight birdies on No. 13-15 – had putts for eagle on two of them. While Hoge signed for a 62 to finish at 20 under, and I joined him there, Scheffler and Kim matched pars over the next two holes to set up a surprising finish.

Scheffler and Kim share a June 21 birthday — Scheffler is six years older — and celebrated with New Haven pizza before the tournament, about 30 miles north. The Dallas-area residents played together in the final bracket Sunday, chatting and joking.

But only one of them could hold the trophy at the end.

And as was so often the case, it was Scheffler.

Kim said being in a leader pack with his birthday friend allowed him to focus on his own game.

“You don’t have to worry about him because he’s going to play well,” Kim said. “Obviously he’s a phenomenal player, world number 1, all these titles. But at the same time, to me, he’s just Scottie Scheffler, he’s just a good friend.

“To come with someone I play a lot of golf with, who beats me a lot at home — and unfortunately, I beat me in the playoffs,” Kim said. “But it sure made it a lot more enjoyable there.”

Adam Svensson (68) of Surrey, BC finished the tournament at 14 under to tie for 16th. He is projected to move 12 places in the FedEx Cup standings to 76th when they are updated on Monday.

Taylor Pendrith (69) of Richmond Hill, Ont., tied for 23rd and will likely move up one spot in the FedEx Cup standings to once again become the top-ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour this season.

Corey Conners (66) of Listowel, Ont. and Adam Hadwin (67) of Abbotsford, BC, tied for 27th at 11 under, one shot behind Pendrith. Mackenzie Hughes (65) of Dundas, Ont., tied for 36th and Nick Taylor (67) of Abbotsford tied for 42nd.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Jimmy Golen, Associated Press