PGA Tour executives to officially testify before Senate panel investigating LIV Golf partnership
A U.S. Senate committee is investigating the PGA Tour’s proposed partnership with LIV Golf and the DP World Tour
A pair of PGA Tour officials will appear in front of a U.S. Senate committee next week to testify about the proposed partnership with LIV Golf and the DP World Tour.
PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron Price and Tour board member Jimmy Dunne have agreed to testify in front of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on July 11. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who are the committee chairman and the top Republican, respectively, made the announcement in a joint statement on Monday.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will not appear before the committee. Monahan stepped away from his day-to-day role with the Tour last month, and is recovering from an undisclosed medical situation. It’s unclear when he will return.
“We appreciate the PGA Tour working with us and look forward to a robust, thoughtful exchange with both Ron Price and Jimmy Dunne on July 11, focusing on the details and background of this deal and what it means for this cherished American institution,” Blumenthal and Johnson said in a statement.
The PGA Tour sent its six-page “framework” agreement for the partnership with LIV Golf and DP World Tour to Congress last week. Much of the deal still needs to be ironed out. The surprise announcement of the deal itself last month led to significant criticism from much of the golf world. Monahan once even invoked the 9/11 terrorist attacks when defending the Tour over LIV Golf, something he has been called out for repeatedly since the partnership announcement.
The deal also prompted multiple investigations. Outside of Blumenthal’s inquiry, the Justice Department has since launched an investigation into the deal. Two other senators asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate it over antitrust concerns.
Blumenthal announced ahead of the U.S. Open last month that his committee was launching its investigation into the deal over antitrust concerns and concerns related to the Saudi Arabian government’s role in the partnership. LIV Golf is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is going to be the “premier corporate sponsor” of the new entity and is reportedly preparing to invest billions.
Blumenthal’s committee also asked LIV Golf CEO and Hall of Famer Greg Norman and PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan to testify next week. Both Norman and al-Rumayyan declined.
"Both Governor al-Rumayyan and Mr. Norman have valuable information to share about the operations of the Public Investment Fund, the future of LIV Golf, and Saudi Arabia's plans to invest in golf and other sports," Blumenthal and Johnson said in a statement. "Consistent with our subcommittee's practice, we look forward to working with both witnesses to find a mutually agreeable date for them to appear in the very near future."
