Don Rea Jr has been removed as president of the PGA of America, effective immediately, following criticism over his handling of fan behaviour at last year's Ryder Cup. The board of directors suspended Rea for the remainder of his two-year term, which was due to end in November. Vice-president Nathan Charnes has been appointed acting president.
Rea faced backlash after a raucous crowd at Bethpage Black in New York subjected European players to personal insults, including homophobic slurs and abuse directed at Rory McIlroy and his family. An MC resigned after leading chants of “Fuck you, Rory,” and McIlroy said his wife, Erica, was hit by a thrown beer. McIlroy himself told a spectator to “shut the fuck up” during a match.
In a BBC interview on the Sunday of the event, Rea dismissed the behaviour as no worse than “a youth soccer game” and suggested it distracted American players. A week later, he apologised in an email to PGA members, acknowledging that some fan conduct had “clearly crossed the line” and was “disrespectful, inappropriate, and not representative” of the organisation.
Rea also caused controversy by performing a karaoke version of Eminem's Lose Yourself while the US trailed Europe by seven points, and by stating during the trophy presentation that Europe had “retained” the Cup rather than won it outright. He had served as president since November 2024. The PGA of America previously removed Ted Bishop as president in 2014 after he called English golfer Ian Poulter a “lil girl” on Twitter.
