Bishop Fired over Poulter Comments


PGA of America president Ted Bishop was removed from his position Friday because of "insensitive gender-based statements" directed at English golfer Ian Poulter on social media.

The day before, Bishop, who oversaw an organization with 27,000 club professionals nationwide and began his two-year term in November 2012, called Poulter a "Lil Girl" for his comments about Nick Faldo in Poulter's newly released autobiography.

In his book, "No Limits," Poulter wrote that the 2014 European Ryder Cup team was furious with Faldo, who captained the squad's losing effort in 2008. Poulter said Faldo didn't have the respect of Europe's top players after he described Spaniard Sergio Garcia as "useless" at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.

"It makes me laugh," Poulter wrote. "Faldo is talking about someone being useless at the 2008 Ryder Cup. That's the Ryder Cup where he was captain. That's the Ryder Cup where the Europe team suffered a heavy defeat. So who's useless? Faldo might need to have a little look in the mirror."

Bishop's full Twitter post said: "Faldo's record stands by itself. Six majors and all-time RC (Ryder Cup) points. Yours vs. His? Lil Girl."

On his Facebook page, Bishop added: "Tom Watson (8 majors and a 10-3-1 Ryder Cup record) and Nick Faldo (6 majors and all-time Ryder Cup points leader) get bashed by Ian James Poulter. Really? Sounds like a little school girl squealing during recess. C'MON MAN!"

Watson was the captain of the 2014 U.S. team, which lost to Europe for the third straight time in the biennial competition.

Poulter was aghast about Bishop's unflattering remarks. "Is being called a 'lil girl' meant to be derogatory or a putdown?" Poulter told Golf Channel. "That's pretty shocking and disappointing, especially coming from the leader of the PGA of America. No further comment."

The PGA of America responded quickly. On its website (www.pga.com) the organization released this statement:

"The PGA of America Board of Directors voted (Friday) to remove Ted Bishop, the 38th PGA President, from office for insensitive gender-based statements posted yesterday on social media. The Board deemed the remarks to be inconsistent with the policies of the PGA.

'The PGA of America understands the enormous responsibility it has to lead this great game and to enrich lives in our society through golf,' said PGA CEO Pete Bevacqua. 'We must demand of ourselves that we make golf both welcoming and inclusive to all who want to experience it, and everyone at the PGA of America must lead by example.'

Under the Bylaws of the PGA Constitution, Vice President Derek Sprague has been appointed the association's Interim President until November 22, when the election of new national officers takes place at the 98th PGA Annual Meeting. PGA Secretary Paul Levy will assume the dual responsibilities of Vice President and Secretary until the election.

'The Members and Apprentices of the PGA of America must uphold the highest standards and values of the profession, as well as the manner in which we conduct ourselves at all times,' said Sprague, the PGA General Manager and Director of Golf at Malone (New York) Golf Club. 'We apologize to any individual or group that felt diminished, in any way, by this unacceptable incident.' "