PGA of America president Don Rea Jr., who initially compared vitriolic comments at the Ryder Cup last weekend with what could be heard at a youth soccer game, finally apologized Thursday in an email to the 30,000-plus golf professionals he was elected to serve.
Europe built a record lead after two days at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, and held on for a 15-13 victory over the United States — Europe’s sixth in the past eight editions of the biennial event — but the matches were marred by a gallery that made it personal and profane.
The PGA of America has been reeling from its lack of response to behavior at the famed Long Island course, which began as early as Friday morning when a small section of fans chanted, “(Expletive) you, Rory!” upon seeing Rory McIlroy’s image on a video screen from the practice range.
It only got worse, with vulgar language directed at European players, video of a beer being slapped out of someone’s hand toward McIlroy’s wife, and a comedian hired to lead cheers on the first tee getting involved in the expletive-laden chant toward McIlroy, the No. 2 player in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Rea said in a BBC interview Sunday morning: “You’ve got 50,000 people here that are really excited, and heck, you could go to a youth soccer game and get some people who say the wrong things.”
He went on to say the behavior was distracting American players because they had to spend energy helping to control the crowd.
The Associated Press obtained his letter sent to PGA of America members that started: “Let me begin with what we must own. While the competition was spirited — especially with the U.S. team’s rally on Sunday afternoon — some fan behavior clearly crossed the line.”
“It was disrespectful, inappropriate, and not representative of who we are as the PGA of America or as PGA of America golf professionals,” Rea also wrote. “We condemn that behavior unequivocally.”
The abuse was such that McIlroy began pushing back, with the 36-year-old from Northern Ireland telling one spectator to “shut the (expletive) up” during a foursomes match Saturday morning. McIlroy and Irish teammate and close friend Shane Lowry each gave it back to the gallery during their fourballs victory that afternoon.
Rea also said during his BBC interview when asked directly about the abuse hurled toward McIlroy: “I haven’t heard some of that. I’m sure it happened. It happens when we’re over in Rome on the other side, and Rory understands. Things like that are going to happen.”
English player Matt Fitzpatrick said about the reference to Rome — where Europe built the Americans at Marco Simone in 2023 — that “it’s pretty offensive to European fans the fact that he said that, really.”
Lowry said the level of abuse directed at McIlroy’s wife was “astonishing.”
Derek Sprague, the CEO at the PGA of America, went on Golf Channel on Tuesday to say spectators crossed the line and that he planned to apologize personally to McIlroy and his wife, Erica, who formerly worked at the PGA.
“Rory might have been a target because of how good he is, but the entire European team should not have been subjected to that,” Sprague said on Golf Channel. “I feel badly, and I plan on apologizing to them.”
Rea also took heat for an awkward trophy presentation on Sunday in which he mentioned Europe had retained the cup, instead of winning it.
And then he posted on his Linkedin page Tuesday, “I’m personally taking some criticism right now and that comes with the role and just like when I was an umpire I expect it. However to the students and PGA members that follow me, know this, I am not bothered.”
He linked to a sermon he gave three years ago and concluded: “The truth is still the truth. New level. New devil.”
“What makes our sport great is that we own our bogeys. We certainly own this one,” Rea said in his letter to PGA members. “Our CEO Derek Sprague has apologized on our behalf to Erica and Rory McIlroy and to everyone with Ryder Cup Europe. I would also like to personally apologize to them and all of you for not representing our association in the best light with some of my comments in the media during the event.
“While it wasn’t my intention, some of my comments were seen in a negative light which reflects poorly on not only myself but also on the PGA of America and for that I truly apologize.”
He ended the email, “God Bless and as always Go U.S.A!”
The PGA of America announced in 2013 it would bring the Ryder Cup to Bethpage Black, the public course with a reputation for its raw comments directed at players during past tournaments, including two U.S. Opens (2002, 2009) and the 2019 PGA Championship. Ted Bishop was the PGA president and Pete Bevacqua — now the athletic director at Notre Dame — was the CEO at the time of the announcement.
Bishop was forced out as president in 2014 with a month left on his two-year term for a social media post when he angrily referred to English golfer Ian Poulter as a “lil’ girl.”