(LR) Saudi Golf Federation CEO Majid Al Sourour, and LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman, clap during the trophy ceremony on the third day of the LIV Golf Invitational – Portland at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club on July 2, 2022. Northern Plains, Oregon.
Jonathan Ferre | Liv Golf | Getty Images
Since last year, the PGA Tour has been talking behind the scenes with White House officials and congressional lawmakers about its concerns with LIV Golf, a rival league funded by Saudi Arabia.
Just as plans for LIV Golf were coming together, the PGA Tour quietly began reaching out to the White House and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the second quarter of 2021, according to reports of lobbying disclosures and people familiar with the matter.
Since last year, the PGA Tour has paid the firm DLA Piper $360,000 to lobby lawmakers on their behalf for a range of topics, including “Saudi Golf League proposals.”
According to the most recent filing, the PGA Tour paid out $120,000 in the second quarter of 2022, which spans from April to June 30. Records show that the PGA Tour has spent the most on lobbying in a given time period since it spent the same amount in the first half of 2004 to obtain federal appropriations and grants for a charity golf program for young people, according to a filing,
The tour lobbied President Joe Biden’s executive office as recently as the second quarter of this year, says the latest filing.
Last year lobbying efforts prompted Biden advisers to propose a meeting between a PGA Tour representative and Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, reema bint bandar al saudiTo discuss a Saudi-financed golf league, according to one of the people with knowledge of the effort.
This person said that the PGA Tour refused to hold the meeting because Tour officials did not believe it would result in much improvement by the Saudis. This person declined to be named to speak freely about the private conversation.
A White House spokesperson did not return a request for comment. “We are not going to comment on specific meetings,” PGA Tour spokeswoman Laura Neal told CNBC in an email on Thursday.
LIV Golf League, which reportedly saw another $2 billion round of Saudi funding Last spring, the competition officially began in England last month and will continue next week at former President Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, NJ LIV Golf is led by former PGA Tour star Greg Norman.
The league has secured contracts from some of the biggest US PGA Tour golfers, including Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. each Allegedly Signed a contract worth over $100 million with LIV Golf.
Johnson and Mickelson are among Golfers who have been suspended from the PGA Tour for participating in the LIV League. the justice department is Allegedly Investigating whether the PGA Tour engages in anti-competitive behavior.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been investigated by US officials for years, including after the murder of Washington Post journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi. an american intelligence report good It is said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation to capture or kill Khashoggi. is the crown prince denied Blame. Recently Biden Visited Saudi Arabia tried to reshape ties with the country, and was criticized for punching the crown prince.
Tensions between the US and Saudi Arabia have now escalated into professional golf. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan wins LIV League recently held press conference,
“We welcome good, healthy competition. The LIV Saudi Golf League is not that. It’s an irrational threat that has nothing to do with the return on investment or the proper development of the sport,” Monahan told reporters.
Families of victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks spoke out against Trump for hosting a Saudi-funded tournament at his New Jersey club. On 11 September 2001, 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. The mastermind Osama bin Laden was born there. The Kingdom has denied that it was linked to the attacks. Trump’s Golf Course in Miami is set to host another LIV golf event in October.
Trump recently rebuked LIV Golf in a truth social post and encouraged golfers to take money from the Saudi-backed league.
“All those golfers who remain ‘loyal’ to the blatantly insincere PGA, in all its various forms, will pay a heavy price when the inevitable merger with LIV comes, and you will get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials.” who are making millions of dollars a year,” Trump said in his post. “If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger,” he said,
Contrary to Trump’s claim, there is no sign of the PGA Tour and LIV merging.
Efforts to lobby the PGA Tour on Capitol Hill have resulted in letters from lawmakers to commissioners, even some of Trump’s aides.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.C. “I am concerned that the actions of the Saudi government, particularly in the area of human rights, will become center stage when the Saudi Golf League is created,” wrote Monahan of the PGA Tour last year.
Graham also called Saudi Arabia a “valuable ally” and told the commissioner that “players should be aware of the complications that can come from golf leagues sponsored by the Saudi government.” Graham, who plays golf regularly with the former president, has remained a vocal supporter of Trump since the 2020 election.
A spokesman for Graham did not respond to a request for comment.
Read more coverage of the PGA Tour-LIV golf battle
In conversations with lawmakers, PGA Tour officials conveyed a message similar to Monahan’s comments, alluding to their concern that the LIV Golf League is a way for the Saudi Crown Prince to improve his image and influence in the United States, Who is one of the acquaintances. Said with talk.
Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and his staff have heard from PGA Tour officials about their issues with LIV, a spokesman for Wyden’s office told CNBC during a phone call Wednesday. Widen, who has been an outspoken critic of rule of saudi arabia and LIV Tour, spoke briefly to a PGA Tour representative about LIV League in the Hall of Congress when golf executives were visiting Capitol Hill, Ally said.
The talks between PGA Tour officials, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Wyden, and his office came after Wyden publicly spoke out against the Saudi-backed golf tournament in April after it had an incident in Portland, Ore., in June.
“When American sports institutions coexist with governments helping their citizens evade the American justice system, they are selling their integrity for a profit,” Whedon told a local Oregon newspaper in April. “Anyone who is calling the shots for this Saudi-affiliated tournament on American soil needs to step up and take responsibility for how effectively they are trying to clean the stain of the Saudi regime.”
Wyden, with censor Jeff Merkle, D-Ore. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., later signed one. Letter “At least, put human rights at the center of your meetings,” asked Biden ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia.
A spokesperson for Merkle told CNBC that neither he nor his staff have spoken to PGA Tour representatives. Merkle recently spoke out against last month’s tour, saying “Saudi Arabia cannot be allowed to cover up its arrogant human rights record – including the murder of journalists – with a lucrative golf tour.” Merkle has also been long time critic of the Government of Saudi Arabia.
A spokesman for Lehi said he and his staff had not met with PGA Tour officials. Blumenthal’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment.