by If Ted Bishop’s story is a warning to senior executives in sports, it is that social media can be a powerful tool for spreading views at the drop of a hat. The former president of the PGA of America paid a heavy price for a colossal lapse in judgment a decade ago after he publicly launched a verbal tirade against Ian Poulter that resulted in him being fired from his job.
Just as quickly as people can go viral for the right reasons, their livelihoods can also be destroyed with just one click. Going head-to-head with Team Europe’s Ryder Cup hero proved an unwise move.
In 2014, Bishop was removed from his position as head of American golf’s governing body after he was found to have made “insensitive gender-based” comments about the Englishman.
The defining moment for Bishop came when he referred to Poulter as a “little girl” after a series of outbursts on his personal X and Facebook pages.
He had responded after reading how Poulter criticized Sir Nick Faldo and Tom Watson in his autobiography No Limits, taking aim at the methods they used as Ryder Cup captains.
“Most of us in the European team are amazed when we see the pairings on Saturday morning and their names aren’t there,” criticized Poulter Watson, pointing to the absences of Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley.
“It shows us that there are problems in the US team room. It has to be that way. That’s the only explanation for leaving two players out like that.”
Bishop realized his mistake and quickly removed the posts. But the speed at which his words spread across the internet meant the damage had already been done.
Unsurprisingly, Poulter was amused and disappointed by Bishop’s comments and took the former PGA America boss to task for his verbal attack.
“Is it derogatory or demeaning to be called a ‘little girl’?” he said. “This is pretty shocking and disappointing, especially coming from the leader of the PGA of America. No further comment.”
Reflecting on the ugly incident a decade later, Bishop admitted he still finds it difficult to put the incident in the background, describing it as “the biggest regret of my life”.
“Believe me, not a day goes by that I don’t think about it. It’s the biggest regret of my life,” he told Sports Illustrated. “I felt like we did a lot of good in those two years and it didn’t end the way I thought it would.
“I’ve said that many times. I don’t make excuses. It was a pointless move. It was a tough few weeks after the Ryder Cup and I just got sucked into that moment. It was really unfortunate and unfortunately there.” I can’t do anything about it.
Despite calls for his readmission to the PGA, Bishop remains on the outside looking in. But he found another path close to his heart after moving to The Legends Golf Club in Franklin, Indiana, as director and manager, where he oversaw the construction and development of what was originally a 45-hole complex .
