Social Media is Killing the PGA of America President for His Remarks on Fan Behavior

During Day 2 of the Ryder Cup, Rory McIlroy was abused by the crowd at Bethpage Black. He was called homophobic slurs and had a beer thrown at him and his wife, Erica, after winning his afternoon match alongside Shane Lowry.

It wasn’t every fan on Long Island, but the one percent was loud, disgusting, and embarrassing.

Don Rea, the PGA of America president, was asked about the fan behavior, and to say his response was utterly disappointing would be a huge understatement. He took zero accountability and responsibility, and said he hadn’t heard much abuse of McIlroy. Here’s his full comment:

Once this video started to make its rounds on Twitter on Tuesday, it didn’t take long for fans everywhere to voice their displeasure.

When the head of the organization sounds this way, it’s no surprise that the fans behaved the way they did. Something has to change—fast.