Senate launches probe into merger of Saudi-backed LIV Golf, PGA Tour

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PGA golfer Dylan Wu reacts to LIV merger

PGA golfer Dylan Wu joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss why many golfers are still shocked by the merger and why he believes many players are 'shut out from what's happening.'

The Senate is launching an investigation into the controversial partnership between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chairman of the Senate Select Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman on Monday demanding records of communications, disputes and merger details dating back to October 2021, when LIV was launched.

PGA officials announced last week that their organization would create a "newly-formed commercial entity to unify golf" along with the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns LIV. The PIF is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

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The Trump National Golf Club is the setting for the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster on July 26, 2022 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Mike Stobe/LIV Golf/via Getty Images)

LIV has been under intense scrutiny since its inception as critics dismiss it as a high-dollar front for Saudi Arabia to "sportswash" its reputation for human rights abuses. 

"While few details about the agreement are known, PIF’s role as an arm of the Saudi government and PGA Tour’s sudden and drastic reversal of position concerning LIV Golf raise serious questions regarding the reasons for and terms behind the announced agreement," Blumenthal wrote in the letter. "Accordingly, I write to request documents and information related to this agreement."

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LIV Golf is owned by the Public Investment Fund, which is under the control of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

Critics of LIV golf criticized the deal with PGA immediately after news broke. PGA players who had been encouraged to speak out against the Saudi-backed golf entity and the kingdom’s poor humanitarian record had claimed to be caught off-guard by the sudden merger, and the organization was labeled hypocritical by its detractors.

"PIF is an investment fund of more than $700 billion created by the Saudi government and run by a board that makes investment decisions under ‘the chairmanship and guidance’ of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the effective Saudi leader," the Senate letter read. "PGA Tour’s agreement with PIF regarding LIV Golf raises concerns about the Saudi government’s role in influencing this effort and the risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over a cherished American institution."

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Sen. Richard Blumenthal sent a letter on Monday seeking records and information on LIV Golf's partnership with the PGA Tour. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Blumenthal suggested the merger was "an attempt to soften the country’s image around the world – given Saudi Arabia’s deeply disturbing human rights record at home and abroad."

In addition to records about the deal and any disagreements, the senator also requested information on LIV’s corporate structure, as well as on any law enforcement investigations into the agreement or the two golf organizations’ interactions.