June 15 (UPI) — The chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance has initiated an investigation into the proposed deal between the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf, raising a series of questions.
Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., stated in a tweet, “I’m using my power as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee to launch an investigation into the Saudi-backed PGA-LIV merger and am announcing a plan to revoke special tax treatment for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.”
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-N.Y., is also conducting a separate investigation into the same deal.
Wyden wrote a letter addressed to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and Chairman Ed Herlihy, expressing concerns about Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations and suggesting that the PGA Tour’s tax-exempt status could be at risk due to the merger.
Monahan is currently on leave due to a medical condition, according to the PGA Tour.
While details about the deal remain scarce, it would involve the creation of a new entity and potentially result in LIV Golf acquiring and absorbing the PGA Tour.
Wyden’s letter raises additional questions about Monahan’s use of the PGA Tour’s private jet and potential conflicts of interest involving Herlihy’s role as a partner at the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which is advising on the deal.
The letter also inquires about provisions in the agreement that protect players’ freedom of speech regarding Saudi Arabia.
Wyden extensively addresses Saudi Arabia’s human rights record in the letter, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The PGA Tour has not made any public comments regarding the letter or Blumenthal’s investigation.
The U.S. Open, one of golf’s major championships, is currently taking place at the Los Angeles Country Club.
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