Senators safe PGA testimony, say LIV Golf reps a no-show because of scheduling

A bipartisan duo of lawmakers mentioned Monday {that a} pair of senior PGA Tour officers will testify on July 11 at a listening to on the tour’s merger with LIV Golf and what it means for the way forward for the sport and Saudi affect within the U.S.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat, and Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican, mentioned PGA Tour Chief Operating Officer Ron Price and Jimmy Dune, a board member, will seem on Capitol Hill however main gamers on the LIV Golf facet can be no-shows because of scheduling conflicts.

The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations needed to listen to from Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, and Yasir al-Rumayyan, who’s governor of the Public Investment Fund that can oversee Saudi Arabia’s monetary investments within 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. Johson mentioned. “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 yr agreed to a stunning merger after a yearlong standoff by which the Saudi-backed upstart siphoned off main golfers from the tour with huge payouts.

The surge in LIV Golf had political, cultural and diplomatic overtones, with former President Donald Trump cozying as much as the Saudi enterprise at his golf golf equipment and warning PGA Tour holdouts they’d miss a giant payday when an eventual merger arrived.

It did arrive, sparking recriminations from gamers who have been devoted to the tour and from households of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror assaults, who allege Saudi authorities involvement within the tragedy.

Senators launched a probe into the golf merger.

The listening to invitation mentioned it was essential 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.”