Environmental activists disrupt play at British Open by throwing orange substance on 17th green
Environmental activists have briefly interrupted play at the British Open by throwing an orange substance to the side of the 17th green at Royal Liverpool
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Environmental activists briefly interrupted play at the British Open on Friday by throwing an orange substance to the side of the 17th green at Royal Liverpool, prompting American player Billy Horschel to intervene.
Police and security guards quickly took action to keep the Just Stop Oil protesters from causing a bigger disruption during the second round. Play resumed not long after organizers cleaned the substance.
Horschel was playing the hole at the time and helped a greenside marshal lead one of the protesters away. The other players at the 17th were Corey Conners and Alex Noren. They all made par on the hole.
The protesters, all wearing white shirts with the words “Just Stop Oil," had entered from each side of the elevated green that sits with the Irish Sea in the background. One of them had a flare, police said.
Two protesters were immediately taken away from the green, while two others were later escorted away separately.
Local police said in a statement that two men and two women were detained “on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and public nuisance.”
Just Stop Oil is an organization that wants the British government to stop new oil, gas and coal projects. It has interrupted a slew of major sporting events in Britain in recent months, including Wimbledon, an Ashes cricket test and the world snooker championship.
British Open organizers said ahead of the tournament they were aware of the possibility of the protesters trying to disrupt the Open but had “significant security procedures in place.” It had advised players not to get involved.
The 17th hole attracted most of the attention ahead of the Open after being redesigned to add drama to the tournament. It is listed at only 136 yards but its elevated green challenges players with steep slopes and deep bunkers.
The British Open started Thursday and is scheduled to finish on Sunday.
___
AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas contributed to this report.
___
Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports