No PGA Tour, LIV Golf, or PIF Officials Will Attend Tomorrow’s Congressional Hearing

Much like the age-old philosophical question of whether a tree falling in the forest makes a sound if no one is around to hear it, the same sentiment can apply to the golf world this week.

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On Wednesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) will hold another congressional hearing on the proposed “framework agreement” that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund entered on June 6. They are currently negotiating for a final deal by Dec. 31.

Richard Blumenthal, chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, will hold a hearing on Sept. 13 concerning investments by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in the U.S., such as the PGA Tour.https://t.co/2G1tK1K00d

— POLITICO Congress (@politicongress) September 11, 2023

The hearing, entitled “PGA Tour-LIV Deal: Examining the Saudi Arabian Publix Investment Fund’s Investments in the United States,” will be the second on held on the subject. In July, two representatives from the PGA Tour testified.

This time, no one from the PGA Tour, the PIF, or LIV Golf—which is funded by the PIF—will be testifying. Congress has requested that PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman testify, but they declined the July hearing based on supposed conflicts.

Since that time, the PIF has hired a Washington law firm that’s one of the more powerful lobbyist organizations in the D.C. area in order to avoid having to testify.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) reiterated in a letter Wednesday that he expects the head of Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund to appear before Congress and answer questions about its proposed partnership with the PGA Tour. https://t.co/r3rYyP8Yn2

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 16, 2023

The deal has the attention of Congress based on potential anti-trust issues if the PGA Tour and its chief rival come under one umbrella.

Wednesday’s hearing will feature subject-matter experts on these issues along with the human rights concerns regarding the Saudi Arabian government, which operates the PIF.

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