Category: PGA Tour

Harman Says Will Celebrate Open With Spin on New Tractor

HOYLAKE—First-time major champions could be excused for celebrating with some lavish spending—perhaps a new sports car, boat, or house. Not under-stated American Brian Harman. After the unheralded 36-year-old won the British Open at rain-drenched Royal Liverpool on Sunday, he said part of his $3 million prize would be used to pay for his new tractor….


PGA Tour Officials Defend Pending Merger With Saudi-Backed LIV Golf

Senior PGA Tour officials and Republicans defended the pending merger between the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf, while Democrats panned it during a July 11 Senate subcommittee hearing. In a crowded room, PGA Tour Chief Operating Officer Ron Price and PGA tour board member Jimmy Dunne told the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that…


Saudi Investment in PGA Tour Will Top $1 Billion. and Norman Will Exit as LIV’s CEO, Tour Exec Says

WASHINGTON—Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has agreed to invest more than $1 billion in a new commercial entity controlled by the PGA Tour, and Greg Norman will be ousted as the CEO of LIV Golf if the business deal between the Saudis and the tour is finalized, a tour executive told Congress on Tuesday. The…


PGA Tour to Be ‘Clear Leader’ of New Alliance

PGA Tour leadership is making a concerted effort to assuage its rank and file of anxiety surrounding the proposed merger with LIV Golf, culminating with two executives saying Wednesday, June 28, the Tour will be the “clear leader” of the alliance. Tour interim co-leaders, executive vice president Tyler Dennis and COO Ron Price, told Sports…


PGA Tour Will Appear Before a Senate Panel Investigating Its Deal With Saudi Backers of LIV

WASHINGTON—The PGA Tour said Wednesday, June 21, that it would appear next month before a Senate subcommittee whose leader asked executives from the tour, Saudi golf interests and LIV Golf to testify as Congress investigates the business agreement. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced that the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations would hold a hearing on…


Tom Watson Is the Latest to Want Answers on the PGA Tour’s Deal With Saudi Backers of LIV

LOS ANGELES—Eight-time major champion Tom Watson wants answers on the PGA Tour’s new business partnership with Saudi backers of LIV Golf, asking in a letter Monday, June 19, to Commissioner Jay Monahan if the deal was the only way to solve the tour’s financial hardship. That was one of several questions posed by Watson in…


PGA Tour, LIV Golf, PIF File Motion to Dismiss Lawsuits

The PGA Tour, the LIV Golf League, and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia officially agreed to end all pending antitrust litigation among the parties on Friday night. The news came amid the second round of the U.S. Open, and 10 days after PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan appeared with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan…


Senator Announces Probe of PGA Tour-LIV Golf Merger

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) announced on June 15 a probe of the merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the latter of which is funded by the Saudis. Wyden, chairman of the Senate Financial Services Committee, also announced a plan to strip away the tax treatment of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF)….


Shock PGA-LIV Golf Merger Dismays Some Senators, While Others Remain Unperturbed

The merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the latter of which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has caused consternation among senators. The development, announced this week, takes ongoing litigation between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf off the table. However, senators, mainly Democrats, expressed their displeasure to The Epoch Times…


PGA, LIV Golfers React to Merger of Rival Leagues: ‘Nothing Like Finding Out Through Twitter’

It was almost a year ago to the day that Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf teed off for the first time as the PGA Tour’s newest rival, flush with defectors from golf’s top circuit. Morals were questioned. Lawsuits were filed. Golfers doubled down on their affiliations. A merger, it seemed, wasn’t in the cards. But on…