LIV Golf posed ‘existential threat’ to PGA Tour, officials tell U.S. lawmakers

The deal between the rival golf leagues shook the sporting world when it was announced June 6, given the leagues have been engaged in bitter battles for two years.

LIV Golf posed an “existential threat” to the PGA Tour, officials told U.S. lawmakers Tuesday probing the iconic golf league’s proposed merger with its Saudi-backed rival.

PGA Tour Chief Operating Officer Ron Price and board member Jimmy Dunne testified before the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations regarding the negotiations, which could end up being a “win-win situation” for all parties.

Dunne stressed the urgency of the PGA Tour striking a deal with the upstart golf league — before it was no longer an option.

“My fear is if we don’t get to an agreement, they’re already putting billions into golf, they got a management team that wants to destroy the tour … they have an unlimited horizon and an unlimited amount of money,” Dunne said.

“It isn’t like the product is better, it’s just that there’s a lot more money that will make people move and I’m concerned exactly with what the senator’s worried about. I’m more concerned if we do nothing, they could end up owning us.”

The deal between the rival golf leagues shook the sporting world when it was announced June 6, given the leagues have been engaged in bitter battles for two years.

LIV Golf is run by former pro golfer Greg Norman and is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which critics have accused of being a vehicle for the country to try to improve its reputation abroad.

Much of the backlash centres around the alleged involvement of the Saudi Arabian government in human rights violations, including the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.