File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
June 21 (UPI) — U.S. senators have invited executives from the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Saudi Public Investment Fund to testify at a hearing to discuss their agreement to collaborate, according to the officials.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who are members of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent out invitations in the form of emailed letters to Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA Tour, Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf, and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund.issuedinvitations in emailed lettersLIV Golf CEO
A hearing has been scheduled for July 11 at 10 a.m. EDT in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington. The purpose of the hearing, as stated by the senators, is to examine the future of the “Saudi-funded LIV Golf and professional golf in the United States.”
Requests for comment on the hearing from representatives of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have not yet been responded to. The senators have requested confirmation of in-person appearances by June 28.
On June 6, the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and Europe’s DP World Tour announced their plans to merge and establish a new golf venture. This announcement came after two years of legal disputes, disagreements among players, and suspensions.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund, which supports LIV Golf and is valued at over $600 billion, intends to combine its golf-related commercial entities and rights with those of the other tours to create a “collectively owned, for-profit entity.”
In July, a PGA Tour spokeswoman informed UPI that the Department of Justice was investigating the organization for anti-competitive behavior related to LIV Golf.
Despite the ongoing federal investigation, the PGA Tour expressed confidence in the new venture last week.
Senator Blumenthal stated, “Our goal is to discover the details of the PGA Tour’s agreement with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and understand what this Saudi takeover implies for the future of this beloved American institution and our national interests.”
Blumenthal, who chairs the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, announced on June 12 that an investigation had been launched into the proposed alliance between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. He requested the parties involved to provide records and communications to the subcommittee.
Shortly after, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, announced another investigation into the PGA Tour-LIV Golf agreement.
In a separate letter to the PGA Tour, Senator Wyden raised concerns about potential implications regarding data privacy, national security, censorship, conflict of interest, and tax compliance.
Jay Monahan, who has faced criticism from players due to his previous negative comments about LIV Golf, announced on June 14 that he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the PGA Tour to focus on his undisclosed “medical situation.”
During Monahan’s absence, PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron Price and executive vice president and president Tyler Dennis will handle day-to-day operations.
The PGA Tour season will proceed with the Travelers Championship this week. The tournament will take place from Thursday to Sunday at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn.
The next LIV Golf tournament is scheduled to be held from June 30 to July 2 at Real Club Valderrama in Cadiz, Spain.
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