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U.S. Senate Invites Monahan, Al-Rumayyan and Greg Norman to Testify at Hearing

The Commissioner of the PGA Tour, the governor of the PIF and the CEO of LIV Golf have been asked to testify in front of the U.S. Senate.

Gabrielle Herzig

U.S. Senate Invites Monahan, Al-Rumayyan and Greg Norman to Testify at Hearing
U.S. Senate Invites Monahan, Al-Rumayyan and Greg Norman to Testify at Hearing /

On Wednesday, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin addressed a letter inviting PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, Public Investment Fund governor Yasir al-Rumayyan and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman to testify in front of the U.S. Senate on July 11. 

The request comes in the wake of Blumenthal announcing an inquiry into the proposed alliance between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF, the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund that backs LIV Golf. 

The details of the partnership are still largely unknown, but the proposed alliance stopped litigation between the team format start-up league and the PGA Tour. 

“Our goal is to uncover the facts about what went into the PGA Tour’s deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and what the Saudi takeover means for the future of this cherished American institution and our national interest," Blumenthal wrote.

“Americans deserve to know what the structure and governance of this new entity will be. Major actors in the deal are best positioned to provide this information, and they owe Congress—and the American people—answers in a public setting.” 

The letter asked the three executives to appear in-person to testify, prepared with both written remarks and a five-minute oral statement. 

The PGA Tour recently announced that Monahan—who has served as commissioner since 2017—is “recuperating from a medical situation.” His duties have been taken over by Tyler Dennis, the Executive Vice President and President of the PGA Tour, as well as Ron Price, Chief Operating Officer. 

The hearing will address the “circumstances and terms of the planned agreement” as well as the “anticipated role of the PIF in U.S. professional golf. 

Monahan, Al-Rumayyan and Norman have been asked to respond to the request by June 28. 

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Gabrielle Herzig
GABRIELLE HERZIG

Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. Previously, she worked as a Golf Digest Contributing Editor, an NBC Sports Digital Editorial Intern, and a Production Runner for FOX Sports at the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Gabrielle graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team. In her junior year, Gabrielle studied abroad in Scotland for three months, where she explored the Home of Golf by joining the Edinburgh University Golf Club.

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