US Senate asks Saudi Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan and PGA Tour head Jay Monahan to appear in court on July 11 for a judicial inquiry into LIV Golf’s shocking merger
The US Senate has asked Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, to appear before the Senate on July 11 alongside PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman.
It comes after the bombshell deal was struck earlier in June for PGA Tour to merge with its fierce rival LIV, ending the civil war that derailed the game.
But Congress opened an investigation into the deal after its announcement.
“Fans, players and concerned citizens have many questions about the planned agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf,” said a letter to Al-Rumayyan.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund pictured next to former US President Donald Trump, has been asked to appear before Congress next month
To aid the subcommittee’s assessment, you must be prepared to discuss the circumstances and terms of the planned agreement between the PGA Tour and the PIF, how any new entities formed by the planned agreement will be structured, the anticipated impact on PGA Tour and LIV Golf players, and the expected role of the PIF in American professional golf.”
The letter states June 28 as the deadline for a response.
On June 14, Monahan stepped down from his duties as PGA Tour Commissioner due to an unspecified medical issue.
A joint statement from Monahan and the Tour’s Board of Directors read: “Jay Monahan has informed the PGA TOUR Board of Directors that he is recovering from a medical condition.
“The board fully supports Jay and appreciates everyone’s respect for their privacy. During Jay’s absence, Ron Price, Chief Operating Officer, and Tyler Dennis, Executive Vice President & President, PGA TOUR, will run the day-to-day operations of the PGA TOUR with the help of the amazing team Jay has built, ensuring seamless continuity. We will provide further updates as needed.”
Monahan, 53, spent nearly two months working on the deal with two PGA Tour board members, investment banker Jimmy Dunne and New York attorney Ed Herlihy, without the players’ knowledge.
Almost all of them said they were shocked. Some said they felt betrayed. The deal came nearly a year after Monahan made sharp remarks about LIV Gulf’s source of funding, especially as it related to a Saudi connection to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
“I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite,” Monahan said in a Zoom call after the merger was announced.
“Every time I said something, I said it with the information I had at the time, and I said it based on someone trying to compete for the PGA Tour and our players. I accept that criticism. But circumstances do change. I think looking at the big picture and looking at it this way is what got us to this point.”
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