Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said on Sunday that congressional hearings on the proposed merger between golfing leagues the PGA Tour and its rival, LIV Golf, could occur “within weeks.”
During an appearance on CBS’s “Face The Nation,” Blumenthal, the chairman of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, told moderator Robert Costa that his panel is trying to undercover the facts about the proposed merger, noting that “a repressive, autocratic foreign government” is taking over an iconic sporting organization like the PGA in the hope to cleanse its public image.
“The Saudis have been very explicit that they have a strategic objective here,” Blumenthal told Costa. “They’ve been engaged in numerous malign activities antithetical to American interests and values, killing Jamar Khashoggi (sic), as you mentioned, as well as other journalists, torturing and imprisoning dissidents and critics and supporting anti-democratic activities, even terrorist activities, like 9/11, as well as the internal war in Yemen.”
“So there’s a real risk to American interests in the Saudis taking over this American institution. We want to get to the bottom of it,” he added.
Blumenthal also said that the committee would also welcome player cooperation with their investigation into the merger, noting that some league players may be dissatisfied with the news of the agreement and saying that the panel is willing to conduct subpoenas and hearings to obtain any information on the matter.
“How soon could a hearing be held on Capitol Hill?” Costa asked Blumenthal.
“I think a hearing is possible within weeks. The American people deserve a clear look at the facts here. Again, not prejudging what the conclusions will be,” Blumenthal replied. “But, what the Saudis are doing here is not taking control of a single team or hiring one player. They are, in effect, taking charge of the entire sport and it’s not just a Saudi individual. It is the regime.”
Bluementhal’s remarks come as his committee sent a letter to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan earlier this month wanting details on the Tour’s decision to merge with LIV Golf to form a larger golfing organization.
It’s been a week since PGA Tour announced the agreement to merge with LIV Golf in order to create a larger organization. The merger will combine both entities’ commercial businesses — along with DP World Tour, also known as the European PGA Tour — into one for-profit, yet-to-be-named entity.
LIV Golf, founded in 2021, is backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), an entity led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. LIV has also come under scrutiny for Saudi Arabia’s controversial record of human rights abuses.
The agreement ended a year-long antitrust litigation between the two golfing leagues. The PGA Tour, founded in 1929, previously suspended a list of prominent golfers — including Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau — for their decision to jump ship to the up-start league.