Days after the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations opened an investigation into the PGA Tour’s “sudden and drastic” merger with Saudi-backed LIV Golf, another Senate committee is probing the controversial business agreement. In a letter to PGA top leadership, Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is expressing “serious concern” over the relationship between America’s premier golf league and the Saudi Public Investment Fund—the big bucks behind the fledgling foreign circuit. He said it “raises significant questions about whether organizations that tie themselves to an authoritarian regime that has continually undermined the rule of law should continue to enjoy tax-exempt status in the United States.” Wyden points out the PGA’s sudden pivot in position when it previously denounced Saudi Arabia’s “gross violations of human rights” and attempts to “invest in sports as a way of cleansing its reputation.” “I have serious questions about any compensation arrangements… intended to personally and financially benefit the already lavishly-compensated officers and employees of PGA Tour,” Wyden wrote. His letter demands the PGA answer 21 multi-part questions on the merger by June 23. The Justice Department is opening a simultaneous review into the leagues’ agreement over antritrust concerns, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
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Senate Launches ANOTHER Probe Into PGA Tour-LIV Golf Merger
‘SERIOUS CONCERN’
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said the merger “raises significant questions about whether organizations that tie themselves to an authoritarian regime” should enjoy U.S. tax exempt status.
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