The leaders of the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia-backed golf interests have been invited to testify in front of the U.S. Senate next month.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) announced a congressional investigation into the PGA Tour’s planned deal with the Saudis last week.
“Our goal is to uncover the facts about what went into the PGA Tour’s deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and what the Saudi takeover means for the future of this cherished American institution and our national interest,” Blumenthal said in a statement.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, PIF chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman all got the invite to testify on July 11.
After more than a year of back-and-forth sniping in the media and lawsuits between the PGA and Saudi-funded LIV, the two groups announced a shocking merger on June 6.
Exact details of the agreement remain scarce. Even professional golfers associated with the PGA and LIV have said they don’t know what is next. The new combined golf governing entity has not even been named.
“I look forward to hearing testimony from the individuals who are in the best positions to provide insight to the public regarding the current state of professional golf,” said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who works on the Senate investigations committee that Blumenthal chairs.
Last week, the PGA Tour announced that Monahan was dealing with a “medical situation” and would temporarily cede day-to-day control of the PGA Tour.
Additionally, it’s unclear how much say Norman had in the new deal. Monahan told the press that he’d been negotiating directly with Al-Rumayyan about the Saudis’ role in the new tour.