Don Rea may have thought that downplaying the treatment Rory McIlroy faced at the Ryder Cup would help move the controversy along, but it only ended up creating even more backlash. Fans and players alike felt the PGA of America president should have taken a firmer stand instead of seeming to excuse the abusive behavior as part of the atmosphere. He was heavily criticized for those comments at the time, but now the fallout appears to be much bigger, with serious professional consequences following him long after the controversy itself.

PGA of America CEO Terry Clark told Golfweek, “Okay, so let me answer your first point. Don will not be on stage with me; I know that. We’ve got Don operating in a different lane right now that’s very, very focused on membership. I’m the one who should be projecting the external voice of the organization around things like this.

“But has he been muzzled? Don has been asked to specifically focus on those non-public-facing membership responsibilities. And he’s happy with that role? I can’t comment on Don. I talk to Don all the time. He is still very active in his work with the board. Part of my decision to come in was going to be that I’ve got specific support to be able to do the job, and so I think part of that is I should be the spokesperson at this event.”

Clark also admitted the organization could have handled the Ryder Cup fallout better, saying, “No one sits here and says that’s a proud moment.” The comments came while discussing the backlash surrounding fan behavior at Bethpage Black, where several Team Europe players, including McIlroy, were subjected to repeated heckling throughout the week.

After abuses were hurled at McIlroy and his wife, Rea severely downplayed the gravity of the situation by saying that 50,000 people at the course were excited, and even people at a youth soccer game could say the wrong things. He has now been removed from the spokesperson position and won’t be on stage during the 2026 PGA Championship trophy presentation.

The controversy surrounding the event had grown far beyond just crowd noise. During the Ryder Cup, McIlroy revealed that there was “a lot of language that was unacceptable and abusive,” while reports also stated that a beer thrown toward him ended up hitting his wife Erica instead. The atmosphere became so hostile at one stage that additional police officers were reportedly brought in to help manage unruly spectators.

This might be the wise decision taken by the organization’s executive, as Rea had been quite firm on his stance against the situation. In fact, the PGA of America had to extend an apology on his behalf towards McIlroy & his wife in the end.

Then-PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague later acknowledged that “people crossed the line” during the tournament and said he planned to personally apologize to McIlroy, Erica, and the rest of Team Europe. American golf legend Tom Watson also publicly said he was “ashamed” by the behavior of some American fans.

It wasn’t only McIlroy’s influence that the USGA feared going into the second major of the season. One other European star had risen to success over the last few months. And he, too, had shown his dissatisfaction towards Rea.

Rory McIlroy received strong support from his European teammate against Don Rea

Not long after Don Rea’s reaction to Rory McIlroy’s problems had made the headlines, many big names in golf had raised their concerns about the PGA of America executive’s behavior. One of them was the Northern Irishman’s teammate, Matt Fitzpatrick.

The Englishman told the reporters, “I guess they are apologizing on behalf of the fans. Like I say, I saw those comments about the – I saw the interview with the PGA guy discussing it was the same in Rome. It’s pretty offensive to European fans the fact that he said that, really.”

Fitzpatrick’s criticism carried weight because Rea’s earlier remarks had compared the atmosphere at Bethpage to previous Ryder Cups in Europe, something several European players clearly disagreed with. McIlroy himself had also pushed back on the idea that such behavior should simply be accepted in golf, saying, “I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf. I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week.”

Considering the form he has been in this season, Fitzpatrick has gained a lot of fan following recently. He and the 30-time PGA Tour champion are both favorites to win the major. If he is seen being upset about Rea’s presence during the 2026 PGA Championship’s trophy ceremony, then the PGA of America might not be pleased with that, especially if tensions with McIlroy escalated again.