The Hearing: Opening Remarks Ahead of LIV Merger

Excerpts have surfaced in lieu of the Congressional hearing tomorrow on the proposed deal between the PGA Tour and the PIF – run by those in power in Saudi Arabia. (Via Joel Beall, Golf Digest).

Received an excerpt from Senator Blumenthal’s opening remarks for tomorrow’s Congressional hearing on proposed deal between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia: pic.twitter.com/ZPorRMIzaj

— Joel Beall (@JoelMBeall) July 11, 2023

There is no holding back in Senator Richard Blumenthal’s opening remarks. He mentions how a ‘brutal, repressive regime can buy influence’ as well as how ‘vast sums of money can induce individuals and institutions to betray their own values and supporters.’

The opening remarks end with a wish for the hearing to uncover how similar investments from authoritarian governments may affect the country and national security going forward. Pretty hard-hitting stuff.

It sets up an interesting thread of discussion as bite-size bits of information will leak out throughout the hearing.

I think it’s difficult to frame this for anything else – the PGA Tour succumbed to Saudi’s infinitely deep pockets. The litigation alone would’ve caused issues financially for the PGA Tour, and trying to compete with the purses in LIV Golf would likely be catastrophic in the long term. For all the flaws in LIV Golf, the merger was necessary and seems to act as a bail-out for the PGA.

The moral arguments died down fairly quickly in most media discussions once the golf started up – criticisms around the team names, logos, standard of field, and upfront payments were much more apt. Now LIV has been operating for over a year, we’re almost used to it – and the merger means we’re all going to have to live under the same roof.

Cover Image Via CT Insider