Senate probes PGA’s partnership with Saudi-backed LIV Golf

The Senate has opened an investigation into the PGA Tour’s new partnership with LIV Golf, a recently formed league backed by the Saudi Arabian government.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent a letter to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan on Monday expressing concern about the tour’s business agreement with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns LIV Golf. Blumenthal warned that it could be used by the Saudi government to nefariously influence the United States.

News last week that the PGA Tour would form a new entity with LIV Golf surprised many in and outside the world of golf. It appears to be the Saudis’ latest attempt at sportswashing — in which hostile governments invest in sports entertainment to try to endear themselves to the global community and distract from their often dubious record on human rights. 

Blumenthal wrote in his letter to Monahan:

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 Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the effective Saudi leader. 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.

A condition of the deal is for the PIF to have the “right to first refusal” of any additional investors, which could give the Saudi Royal family immense control over golf worldwide, SB Nation reported last week.

Last week, MSNBC columnist Dave Zirin broke down the sequence of events that led to the agreement. The short of it? PGA Tour officials wrapped themselves in the American flag for a year, suggesting players who joined LIV were betraying the U.S. or, at minimum, insulting families of those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks (which were coordinated in Saudi Arabia). 

This video of Monahan from last year speaks volumes in hindsight:

It certainly seems as though LIV Golf officials approached the PGA Tour with an offer so large PGA officials were willing to backtrack and deal with the backlash of being called hypocrites. 

The deal has helped draw attention to the huge portfolio of global businesses — including sports entertainment leagues — that Saudi Arabia has major investments in. The list includes Meta, Uber, World Wrestling Entertainment and the Premier League soccer team Newcastle United.

For those who may have thought capitalism is as American as apple pie, the Saudi government’s investment in the PGA Tour seems to be evidence to the contrary. 

Oh, you thought capitalism was your thing, America? Kinda hard to make that claim when the Saudi government appears to be buying influence — arguably, silencing criticism — by investing in symbols of Americana. Shoot, you could even make the argument they’ve bought a former president and his entire family. 

I can just imagine what the Saudi crown prince might be thinking now: “#NeverForget? Never forget, you say? Never forget Bryson Dechambeaux teeing off at Augusta! That’s what you’ll never forget! Let’s play some golf!”