The former PGA of America president Ted Bishop reflected on his ‘bonehead move’ ten years ago. He was removed from the position of president following a row with the British golfer Ian Poulter after the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Bishop was the president of the PGA of America during the 2014 Ryder Cup which Team USA lost. Phil Mickelson criticized the Team USA captain Tom Watson and Bishop also faced criticism for choosing him as the leader.
Amidst this heat, Bishop tweeted about the event and referred to Poulter as a “Lil girl,” which drew criticism as “insensitive gender-based comments.” The PGA of America decided to oust him from his position for this comment.
Bishop said about the incident in a phone interview with Sports Illustrated:
“Trust me, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it. It’s the biggest regret of my life. I felt like we did a lot of good things in those two years, and it didn’t end the way I envisioned.”
“I’ve said this many times. I make no excuses. It was a bonehead move. It had been a rough few weeks after the Ryder Cup, and I just kind of got sucked into the moment. It was really unfortunate, and unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about it,” Bishop added.
Ted Bishop is now the director of golf at the Legends Golf Club in Franklin. He also held this position before becoming the PGA of America president. Bishop played a vital role in awarding Bethpage Black the hosting rights for the 2025 Ryder Cup.
