The PGA of America will have a new president.
ESPN reported Tuesday the organization announced Don Rea Jr. was ousted as president, effective immediately. The board of directors previously announced a leadership “transition” on Friday.
Rea had been suspended for the rest of his two-year term, which was scheduled to end in November.
PGA of America vice president Nathan Charnes will be the acting president in the immediate aftermath of this move.
ESPN noted that Rea “came under fire after his delayed response to unruly fan behavior directed at the European team at the Ryder Cup” last year when the tournament was held at Bethpage Black in New York.
While he initially compared the fans’ treatment of Rory McIlroy and the European team to jeers that could be heard at a youth soccer game, he eventually apologized in an email a week later.
The email said “some fan behavior clearly crossed the line” and was “disrespectful, inappropriate, and not representative of who we are as the PGA of America or as PGA of America golf professionals.”
It also said he didn’t represent PGA of America “in the best light with some of my comments.”
The ousting of the president comes at a notable time in the golf world with questions about LIV Golf’s funding and long-term sustainability.
Golfers such as Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed have left LIV to return to the PGA Tour, which naturally leads to speculation about whether similar moves will happen in the future from others.
There are two major championships remaining this year with the U.S. Open scheduled for June 18 and the Open Championship scheduled for July 16.
