PGA of America President Don Rea Jr. has been removed from the PGA Tour's board and reassigned to member-focused duties following controversy at the 2025 Ryder Cup. The move, described as unprecedented for a sitting president, comes amid scrutiny over his handling of unruly fan behavior during the event at Bethpage Black. Vice President Nathan Charnes has taken over the board position as Rea's term nears its end.
The PGA of America confirmed on February 19, 2026, that President Don Rea Jr. was removed from the PGA Tour Inc. board in November 2025, a month after the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Rea, elected as the 44th president in 2024 for a two-year term ending later in 2026, has been replaced by Vice President Nathan Charnes, general manager and director of golf at WingHaven Country Club in O'Fallon, Missouri. This shift is seen as unprecedented, as a PGA president has held a board seat since the 1968 split between touring and club professionals.
The change follows criticism of Rea's response to disruptive American fan behavior at the Ryder Cup, where spectators heckled European players including Rory McIlroy, threw a drink at McIlroy's wife, and a PGA-hired emcee shouted an expletive toward McIlroy. Rea was also faulted for an awkward trophy presentation, stating Europe had retained the Cup rather than won it outright, and for a viral video of him singing karaoke at an official hotel on the event's penultimate night while the U.S. team trailed.
In a post-event interview, Rea compared the incidents to comments at a youth soccer game, saying, “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 added on LinkedIn, “I’m personally taking some criticism right now and that comes with the role... New level, new devil.” Two days after the Ryder Cup ended in early October 2025, Rea emailed an apology to PGA members: “What makes our sport great is that we own our bogeys. We certainly own this one... 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.”
Since then, Rea has been absent from PGA press releases, including announcements of Terry Clark as new CEO and Jeff Babineau as the 2026 Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award winner. He attended the January 2026 PGA Merchandise Show in a reduced role. The PGA stated, “PGA of America President Don Rea’s responsibilities are now aligned to member-first priorities for the remainder of his term. He will focus on board leadership, governance, section engagement and initiatives that directly support PGA of America Golf Professionals.”
Historical precedents include the 2014 impeachment of President Ted Bishop for a sexist social media remark and the 2018 allowance of President Paul Levy to complete his term despite a misdemeanor DUI charge. No official reason beyond the reassignment has been provided for Rea's diminished public role.
