Senator opens probe into PGA Tour merger with Saudi-backed LIV Golf

WASHINGTON — A apical Democratic lawmaker launched a probe connected Monday into the planned merger of the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., requested details of the statement betwixt the 2 organizations, including however the caller combined entity volition run successful airy of Saudi Arabia's quality rights abuses, successful letters to PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman.

The missive from Blumenthal comes arsenic the PGA Tour-LIV woody faces aggravated scrutiny and doubts astir whether the merger tin beryllium completed, fixed the severity of anterior claims successful the play leagues' anterior litigation against each other.

The Saudi authorities has been accused of wide-reaching quality rights violations, including the orchestration of the execution of Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi successful 2018.

The June 6 merger announcement was a "sudden and drastic reversal of a presumption concerning LIV Golf," wrote Blumenthal, who chairs the Senate Permanent Subcommittee connected Investigations. The Tour and its commissioner had antecedently spoken retired powerfully against LIV and its relation successful nonrecreational golf.

Meanwhile, the Saudi government's Private Investment Fund, which owns LIV, had made wide plans to usage investments successful sports to further the Saudi government's objectives, according to Blumenthal's letter.

"PGA Tour's statement with PIF regarding LIV Golf raises concerns astir the Saudi government's relation successful influencing this effort and the risks posed by a overseas authorities entity assuming power implicit a cherished American institution," Blumenthal wrote.

Before the statement to merge, PGA's rivalry with LIV included legal enactment between the two. The entities agreed to squash each pending litigation arsenic portion of their program to harvester commercialized businesses and rights into a yet-unnamed for-profit company.

Monahan told CNBC's "Squawk connected the Street" connected Tuesday that the merger is simply a benefit to the crippled of play contempt anterior "tensions."

The statement volition necessitate the support of the PGA Tour argumentation board, according to a memo to players from Monahan.

LIV Golf declined to remark connected Blumenthal's letters. PGA Tour did not instantly respond to petition for comment.

Blumenthal asked for answers to respective inquiries, including an outline of firm operation and records of immoderate disputes betwixt the firm heads and immoderate different stakeholders, by June 26.