PGA of America President Ted Bishop labeling British golfer Ian Poulter a “Lil Girl” for criticizing golf legends Nick Faldo and Tom Watson has resulted in calls for his resignation and charges of sexism. 

SB Nation’s Emily Kay points out that although Bishop’s two-year term will end next month the PGA of America must remove him now for the “lil girl” tweet. Kay maintains that “we don’t need a silly task force to determine that the PGA of America must demand his immediate resignation after such ill-considered and totally inappropriate comments.”

Fox Sports reports that Bishop defended Faldo and Watson using social media. He tweeted to Poulter, “Faldo’s record stands by itself. Six majors and all-time RC points. Yours vs. His? Lil Girl.” Moreover, on Facebook, the PGA President posted, “Really? Sounds like a little school girl squealing during recess. C’MON MAN!” The Facebook message reminded Poulter of Watson’s eight majors and 10-2-1 Ryder Cup record and that Faldo, considered to be the greatest English golfer ever, had six majors under his belt and more Ryder Cup points than anyone else in history.

The PGA of America made a statement that Bishop “realized that his post was inappropriate and promptly removed it.” Although Bishop admitted that he should have chosen his words more carefully, he lamented that, “Golf had always been a sport where respect was shown to its icons. That seems to have gone by the wayside.”

Poulter, who earlier commented that “I guess we can only have opinions if you won a major or 6,” said upon seeing Bishop’s tweet, “Is being called a `lil girl’ meant to be derogatory or a put down? That’s pretty shocking and disappointing, especially coming from the leader of the PGA of America. No further comment.”

In his just released autobiography No Limits, Poulter, who has a reputation as a fierce Ryder Cup competitor, (12-4-2), disparaged this year’s American Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson, saying that Watson’s decision-making “completely baffles me.” Watson chose to bench Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley for both sessions of the Saturday rounds of the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. In ten appearances at the Ryder Cup, this was the first time that Phil had sat out for the entire day.

Breitbart News reported in September that Mickelson also had voiced criticism of Watson’s coaching strategy after the Americans got trounced by the Europeans 16 1/2 to 11 1/2.

In No Limits Poulter also takes a shot at 2008 European Ryder Cup Captain Nick Faldo, who pronounced in a Golf Channel interview on the Friday of this year’s Ryder Cup, that Sergio Garcia was “useless” and had a “bad attitude” during the 2008 Europeans’ defeat at Valhalla.

“Faldo has lost a lot of respect from players because of what he said,” Poulter writes in his book. He suggests that since Faldo was captain that year, and it is the only European Ryder Cup loss this century, that maybe it was Faldo who is “useless” and that Sir Nick “might need to have a little look in the mirror.”