Don Rea Jr is out as president of the PGA of America, effective immediately, following sustained fallout over his handling of crowd behavior at last year's Ryder Cup in New York.
The board of directors suspended Rea for the remainder of his two-year term, which ends in November. Nathan Charnes, the organization's vice-president, has assumed the role of acting president.
Rea faced intense criticism for his initial response to widespread verbal abuse directed at European players during the September match at Bethpage Black. Spectators hurled personal insults at Rory McIlroy and his family. An MC at the event resigned after leading chants targeting McIlroy. Homophobic slurs were shouted at golfers, and players' wives were insulted. McIlroy later said his wife, Erica, was struck by a thrown beer during play.
In an interview the morning of the Cup's final day, Rea minimized the incidents, telling the BBC that the behavior was no worse than what occurs at a youth soccer game. He also suggested the abuse was actually disadvantaging the American team because players had to spend energy managing crowd control.
The backlash was immediate and sustained. A week later, Rea issued an apology to PGA of America members, acknowledging that some fan conduct had "clearly crossed the line" and calling it "disrespectful, inappropriate, and not representative" of the organization.
Rea's missteps extended beyond his public comments. He was captured on video performing a karaoke rendition of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" while the US trailed Europe by seven points. He also created controversy during the trophy presentation by stating that Europe "retained" the Cup rather than won it outright.
The ouster marks a sharp reversal for Rea, who had only assumed the PGA presidency in November 2024. The organization has a history of swift action on leadership: in 2014, it removed Ted Bishop from the presidency after he posted a disparaging tweet about English golfer Ian Poulter.
Author James Rodriguez: "Sometimes the tone you set in a crisis matters more than anything else, and Rea seemed to completely miss the moment."
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