David Feherty, the former European tour golfer who has become one of the most popular television golf presenters in the United States, has put his job – and his reputation as a humorist – under threat after suggesting in a magazine article that American soldiers would like to "shoot" Nancy Pelosi, one of the most powerful Democratic party politicians in the country.

Writing in a Dallas magazine, Feherty, who is heavily involved with the Troops First Foundation, a charity which aims to help soldiers returning from Iraq, relayed a "joke" about Pelosi being in a lift along with Harry Reid, the Democratic leader of the senate, and Osama bin Laden.

"From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this. Despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any US soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Osama bin Laden, there's a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death," he wrote.

If the television presenter's aim was to be funny, then the humour was lost on many, most notably Keith Olbermann, host of an influential political talk show, who accused Feherty of peddling death fantasies and declared him "world's worst person" – a distinction he usually reserves for the more voluble members of the right-wing media.

More worryingly for Feherty, his current employer, the CBS network, was quick to distance itself from him. "While outside his work for CBS, David Feherty is a popular humorist, we want to be clear that this column for a Dallas magazine is an unacceptable attempt at humour and is not in any way condoned, endorsed or approved by CBS Sports."

Since giving up playing golf for a living, Feherty, who played for Europe in the 1991 Ryder Cup, has become one of the game's most popular commentators, principally because he ignores the rigid conventions of television golf coverage in the States, preferring cheek and irreverence over misplaced veneration. Only last week he called Tiger Woods a "loser" to his face three times in the space of a 20-second interview and managed to raise a laugh from the world No1.

It was notable, however, that no one was laughing around the world of golf yesterday, least of all the PGA Tour.

"David Feherty is an insightful and sometimes humorous commentator for CBS Sports' golf coverage," the PGA Tour said in a statement. "However, his attempt at humour in this instance went over the line and his comments were clearly inappropriate. We hope he will use better judgment in the future."

Despite the growing controversy over his words, Feherty, who recently gained American citizenship and lives in Dallas, has abandoned the habits of a lifetime and said nothing in response his critics. However, the feeling last night at Sawgrass, venue for the Players Championship, is that he may have to say something in order to stem the tide.