Golf Star Jon Rahm Issues Warning to Climate Protesters Ahead of British Open: 'Don't Catch Me on a Bad Hole'
Not everyone finds the disruptive antics of modern climate protesters amusing, cute, effective, or endearing.
In fact, some people are downright fed up with all of it — including golf star and reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm.
The 28-year-old from Spain spoke to Golf magazine and made it abundantly clear that he wouldn’t be entertaining any of the protesters’ nonsense for the 2023 Open Championships.
That tournament, which runs from Thursday through Sunday, will take place at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England.
Golf magazine notes that, historically, the Open Championships have had an issue with streakers — a sometimes-endearing trope of sports fandom.
This year, however, the golf outlet notes that it may not just be streakers seeking out their 15 minutes of fame, interrupting the tournament.
The 2023 Open Championships have the added stress of worrying about eco-activist groups like “Just Stop Oil.”
If you’ve seen those viral videos of people gluing their hands to things or attacking art with paint, odds are, you’re familiar with that group.
Well, whether these golf interlopers are doing it for the sake of nudity or the sake of the planet, Rahm is putting out a preemptive warning to them: Stay away.
“I do have a reputation, so I hope they don’t catch me on a bad hole,” Rahm said, according to Golf magazine. “I’ve seen a couple of those things. I know they’re going for an impact. I saw a couple of them intervening in Wimbledon, and, obviously, this looks like it could be a perfect spot.
“But we have nothing to do with [the issues they’re protesting].”
Bad news for Rahm: Any actual tangible connection to climate issues is immaterial to most of these protesters.
The golf star then seemed to imply that he would be willing to take matters into his own hands — though he did not fully commit to golf course vigilantism.
“You don’t want to disrupt play, which they’re trying [to do],” Rahm said. “So if it happens where I’m at, I’m obviously going to try to clean up as quickly as possible so we can resume play.
“That’s all I can say.”
The golf veteran did also note that, due to the simple geography of a golf course, these hypothetical protesters run the risk of getting seriously hurt, intentionally or unintentionally.
“They might have more room to run around and do what they need to do, but what I can assure you is you don’t want to get hit by a golf ball,” Rahm said.
He added: “Whether it’s on purpose or even by accident, you don’t want to be caught in the middle of that.”
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