US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
PGA president Don Rea finally apologizes for Bethpage Black behavior at Ryder Cup
Don Rea apologized for inappropriate fan behavior including vulgar language and personal attacks at the Ryder Cup, calling it disrespectful and not representative of PGA professionals.
- On Thursday, PGA of America president Don Rea Jr. apologized in an email to the 30,000-plus golf professionals he was elected to serve, saying `Let me begin with what we must own` and condemning some fan conduct as `disrespectful, inappropriate`.
- At Bethpage Black, crowd hostility escalated on Saturday with homophobic slurs, vulgar language, and a beer slapped toward Erica McIlroy during four-ball matches with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.
- In a BBC Sport interview Sunday, Don Rea Jr. suggested crowd lapses were inevitable with 50,000 fans present and stood by his LinkedIn post Wednesday saying he was "personally taking some criticism".
- Criticism grew from critics including Tom Watson and Tyrrell Hatton after PGA CEO Derek Sprague apologised on Golf Channel and said he planned to apologise personally to Rory and Erica McIlroy, amid Europe’s 15 victory.
- The episode raises questions about the PGA of America's stewardship of U.S. Ryder Cups, as Bethpage Black, awarded the 2024 Ryder Cup, had long been flagged for crowd control challenges.
Insights by Ground AI
21 Articles
21 Articles
PGA of America president Don Rea finally apologizes for fan behavior at Ryder Cup
PGA of America president Don Rea Jr., who initially compared vitriolic comments at the Ryder Cup 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.
·Atlanta, United States
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources21
Leaning Left10Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution66% Left
Bias Distribution
- 66% of the sources lean Left
66% Left
L 66%
C 27%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
