After the 2025 Ryder Cup, an ignorant President of the PGA of America, Don Rea, said, “I haven’t heard some of that, and I’m sure it has happened… Rory understands.” He was oblivious of the abuse Rory McIlroy, his wife, & the rest of Team Europe faced at Bethpage. And after losing on home soil, Rea didn’t look too thrilled to discuss the sufferings of the opposition. But ever since his statement, he has had to make multiple public apologies. And he made another one just a few days ago.

As revealed by the crew of Fried Egg Golf on The Shotgun Start podcast, he gave a speech during a PGA of America annual meeting in Frisco. Rea told the 30,000 members, “…sometimes over the last months, I haven’t measured up to those standards. I apologize for that. I want to stand and say that I take ownership of that. I commit to you that over the next year, I’m going to do exactly what you elected me to do.”

Rea added, “Which is to invest in you, to serve you, to help you grow this game, to change lives. I’m sorry that I harmed the association. I know what I’m going to do next year. Together, we’re going to move this association forward. The next few days, it’s all about the members. Members that are watching right now, members that you serve as delegates. Over the next few days, we’ll collaborate, network, lead, and do it together, moving this association forward.”

After his absurd reaction to the issues at Bethpage, it seems that Rea was still feeling the heat from the golf community. But even The Shotgun Start podcast crew believed that he didn’t need to apologize again. But the fact is, he had already issued a public apology to McIlroy & his wife, Erica Stoll, a few weeks ago. Most of the golf community had already moved on from criticizing him about the incident. But considering how he was involved in an embarrassing situation as the leader of the PGA of America, he still owed an apology to the other PGA of America members who were associated with him.

But they were not the only ones who were hurt by Don Rea’s actions after the Ryder Cup. Other parties involved in the incident also expressed their disappointment in the PGA of America President. Let’s see who they were.

Who else criticized Don Rea other than Rory McIlroy?

From the moment he made the statement after the Ryder Cup to all his actions after, Don Rea was constantly criticized for all his actions. During the event, he was seen singing ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem on a Karaoke night in the players’ hotel. After the event, fans called him out for his actions as they stated that it was absurd. But the netizens were not the only ones to criticize him.

Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley was also shocked by the way Don Rea behaved after making the statement. He said, “I think it just reminds us, as custodians of the game, of the responsibility that we have to perpetuate its underlying values. I think hopefully this is something we’re going to focus on more, because I think that’s part of what makes golf special, it is a different sort of set of rules, if you will,” taking a sly jab at the PGA of America President. While he is still facing some backlash for his words, it’s not a surprise that Rea is still trying to find ways to make up for his mistakes.