As ever, the PGA Championship, which in 2026 comes from Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, features 156 professionals all competing for the Wanamaker Trophy.
However, while everything may appear normal on the surface, in the background, one key figure of the tournament organizer, the PGA of America, will be absent.
PGA of America president Don Rea won’t be at the event, but why is that?
Rea, who was elected the 44th PGA of America president in November 2024 on a two-year term, but within a year, he had proved a divisive figure.
Perhaps the first sign that Rea’s tenure would be controversial came before the 2025 PGA Championship, where he received criticism for answering questions intended for then-CEO Derek Sprague and CCO Kerry Haigh during the PGA of America press conference.
However, the biggest controversies were to come.
The 2025 Ryder Cup 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.
Rea’s reaction drew criticism, but he initially doubled down, writing on his LinkedIn profile that he was “not bothered" by it, before later issuing an apology for his comments.
That wasn’t the only controversy involving Rea during the week.
After Europe beat the hosts 15-13, Rea congratulated the visitors for "retaining" the Ryder Cup at the trophy presentation – a description that would have only been correct had the two teams tied the match.
That led to further criticism, including from Team Europe’s Matt Fitzpatrick, who said there had been "a little bit of bitterness” from the president during his speech.
Adding to the fallout was footage that later emerged showing Rea on the Saturday night of the contest performing Lose Yourself by Eminem on karaoke.
The timing of Rea’s performance was hardly ideal, because, before rallying brilliantly in the Sunday singles session, the US team faced the prospect of a heavy defeat.
By February 2026, Rea’s remit had changed, with the PGA of America issuing a statement to the Golf Channel explaining his responsibilities would be “aligned to member-first priorities for the remainder of his term.”
It added that “he will focus on board leadership, governance, section engagement and initiatives that directly support PGA of America Golf Professionals and reinforce the grassroots foundation of the Association.”
Two months later, the writing appeared to be on the wall for Rea's chances of attending the PGA Championship, with Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal reporting that he was “not expected to be on site" at the tournament.
In the press conference before the event, PGA of America CEO Terry Clark clarified Rea's current role, saying: "Specifically, what we've asked is for Don to keep his focus on the member side, and we've tried to keep the right responsibilities across our distinct leaders in here. So that's it."
