PGA Of America President Replaced Immediately Following Controversies
The PGA of America announced on Friday that President, Don Rea, had been removed from the rest of his term, with Vice President Nathan Charnes replacing him
After being absent from the PGA Championship last week, it has been announced that the PGA of America President, Don Rea, will be replaced immediately.
On Friday, the governing body released a statement that revealed vice President Nathan Charnes will replace Rea, with Charnes becoming an acting President until November, when Rea’s two-year term was to have ended.
The statement from Charnes read: "I am writing to share that the PGA of America Board of Directors has implemented an Officer leadership transition following the suspension of President Don Rea for the remainder of his term, which concludes in November.
"Vice President Nathan Charnes, PGA, has been named Acting President, effective immediately.
"A public announcement will be issued shortly.
"The Board determined that a leadership transition was necessary to ensure the Association can effectively fulfill its governance responsibilities and continue advancing its strategic priorities. The Board also expressed appreciation for Don Rea’s service to the PGA of America.
"Nathan is a PGA of America Golf Professional and current Vice President who will provide continuity and leadership during this transition. Eric Eshleman, PGA, has been elevated to Acting Vice President and will continue to serve as Secretary.
"This change is limited to Board leadership and does not impact the Association’s operations, strategic priorities or Member services.
"Thank you for your continued commitment to the Association and to the game."
Rea (left) ahead of the Ryder Cup
The move to replace Rea comes after a number of controversies, including incidents at the 2025 PGA Championship and that year's Ryder Cup.
Receiving criticism for answering questions intended for then-CEO Derek Sprague and CCO Kerry Haigh during the PGA of America press conference at the PGA Championship, Rea received further backlash in September.
Speaking at the Ryder Cup, the event at Bethpage Black was marred by crowd abuse of the European players, which Rea played down by comparing the New York crowd to the European fans in Rome two years earlier.
Later, writing on his LinkedIn profile that he was "not bothered" by the criticism, Rea then congratulated Team Europe for "retaining" the Ryder Cup at the trophy presentation. This was factually wrong, as the scores weren't tied.
Charnes was present at this year's PGA Championship's trophy presentation
Following on from that, Major winner Matt Fitzpatrick, who was part of the victorious team, stated that there had been "a little bit of bitterness” from the President during his speech.
What's more, Rea's week didn't end there as, following the event, further information came to light that included a video of the President on the Saturday night of the contest performing Lose Yourself by Eminem on karaoke.
At the time, the US team were trailing 11.5 - 4.5 going into the Sunday singles, the biggest lead of any side in Ryder Cup history since Europe's introduction in 1979.
The removal of Rea comes just months after it was revealed that he had his role reduced, as well as being removed from two PGA Tour boards.
Per Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal, the PGA of America referenced a statement released at that time, which said Rea’s responsibilities would be “aligned to member-first priorities for the remainder of his term.”
