It is undeniable that at the 45th Ryder Cup, fan fervor turned ugly at times, with some crossing the line several times. Even the PGA of America’s first-tee emcee got involved with the heckling, as Rory McIlroy faced the brunt of it. Several such moments attracted two kinds of responses: one from the PGA of America’s CEO and another from its president.

In an exclusive interview, PGA of America president Don Rea downplayed vile fan behavior, claiming, “I haven’t heard some of that. I am sure it’s happened.” He acknowledged that McIlroy handled it “amazingly,” glossed over the severity, and concluded with a vague assertion that “golf is the engine of good.” However, the CEO of the PGA of America was more careful with his words when faced with a similar question.

In his interv

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