The Department of Justice is investigating the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf merger over the potential violation of U.S. antitrust law, according to The Daily Wire. As a result, the finalized deal for the merger is being extended as the DOJ completes its investigation.
Former President Donald Trump is also in the middle of the merger as he reportedly has ties to the Saudi organization. But others are not so sure that the merger is lawful. One antitrust official reportedly said that mergers are supposed to prevent monopolies but noted that this one ends competition between two large golf organizations. He added that the deal will be “tied up for months with litigation.”
Trump’s ties to the merger allegedly give the Biden administration reason to try to sour the deal, according to The New York Post. The news comes as the Biden DOJ is pursuing investigations and indictments against the former president for trying to overturn the 2020 election, inciting an insurrection, and handling classified documents.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan stated that the two golf behemoths were competing against one another for a long time but claimed that they are now trying to unite under one umbrella so that they can better the game. He claimed that working together enables them to make a “greater impact” on the game.
The Saudi-backed circuit has reportedly dangled large sums of money in front of American players like Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka. In response, the PGA Tour went on the offense and began a campaign noting the organization’s ties to the Saudis. But Monahan has since walked back on his comments, saying that “circumstances change.”
9/11 Families United Chair Terry Strada criticized the PGA Tour and said that the commissioner betrayed them, adding that the PGA’s concern was “window-dressing in their quest for money.”
