Don Rea Jr has been removed as president of the PGA of America with immediate effect, following a series of controversies during last year's Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York. The PGA of America's board of directors suspended Rea for the remainder of his two-year term, which was due to end in November, and vice-president Nathan Charnes has been appointed acting president.
Rea faced widespread criticism for his response to verbal abuse directed at European players by the crowd. During the event, spectators hurled personal insults at Rory McIlroy and his family, including chants of “Fuck you, Rory” led by an MC who later resigned. Homophobic slurs were shouted at golfers, and players' wives were insulted. McIlroy reported that his wife, Erica, was hit by a thrown beer, and he told a spectator to “shut the fuck up” during a match.
In a BBC interview on the Sunday morning of the Cup, Rea dismissed the abuse as no worse than what might be heard at “a youth soccer game” and claimed the behaviour was distracting American players who had to help control the crowd. A week later, he apologised to PGA of America members in an email, acknowledging that some fan behaviour had “clearly crossed the line” and was “disrespectful, inappropriate, and not representative” of the organisation.
Rea also attracted criticism for performing a karaoke version of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” while the US team trailed Europe by seven points, and for stating during the trophy presentation that Europe had “retained” the Cup rather than won it outright. He had been president since November 2024. The PGA of America previously removed Ted Bishop from the presidency in 2014 after he called English golfer Ian Poulter a “lil girl” in a tweet.
