Senators secure PGA testimony, say LIV Golf reps a no-show due to scheduling

A bipartisan duo of lawmakers said Monday that a pair of senior PGA Tour officials will testify on July 11 at a hearing on the tour’s merger with LIV Golf and what it means for the future of the game and Saudi influence in the U.S.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat, and Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican, said PGA Tour Chief Operating Officer Ron Price and Jimmy Dune, a board member, will appear on Capitol Hill but major players on the LIV Golf side will be no-shows due to scheduling conflicts.

The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations wanted to hear from Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, and Yasir al-Rumayyan, who is governor of the Public Investment Fund that will oversee Saudi Arabia’s financial investments in the new entity.

“We regret that Governor al-Rumayyan and Mr. Norman’s scheduling conflicts will prevent them from attending the July 11 hearing. 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,” Mr. Blumenthal and Mr. Johnson said. “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.”

PGA Tour and LIV Golf this year agreed to a shocking merger after a yearlong standoff in which the Saudi-backed upstart siphoned off prominent golfers from the tour with big payouts.

The surge in LIV Golf had political, cultural and diplomatic overtones, with former President Donald Trump cozying up to the Saudi venture at his golf clubs and warning PGA Tour holdouts they would miss a big payday when an eventual merger arrived.

It did arrive, sparking recriminations from players who were faithful to the tour and from families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, who allege Saudi government involvement in the tragedy.

Senators launched a probe into the golf merger.

The hearing invitation said it was important to “the risks associated with a foreign government’s investment in American cultural institutions, and the implications of this planned agreement on professional golf in the United States going forward.”

Some critics say the Saudis are engaging in “sports-washing,” or using petro-dollars to invest money into golf, European soccer and other feel-good athletic ventures to paper over human rights abuses or rogue behavior.