Public Reports Show PGA Tour Has Paid Nearly $200k To Lobby Congress, Biden Against LIV Golf And Other Issues

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The PGA Tour is paying substantial amounts of money to lobby Congress and President Joe Biden's administration against LIV Golf. Public disclosure reports indicate the Tour has spent $190,000 so far in its efforts against the Saudi-backed circuit.

As first reported by Insider, the public disclosure reports started to list "Saudi Golf League proposals" as specific lobbying issues in 2021, when LIV Golf was only a rumor.

The PGA Tour paid $70,000 in Q1 of 2022 towards the efforts and its spending increased to $120,000 in Q2. The increase in spending from the Tour coincides with LIV Golf's first event, which was held just outside of London in June.

The Tour paid DLA Piper LLP, a law firm, which then lobbied various members of Biden's administration on various issues, including LIV Golf.

These records of the PGA Tour's lobbying efforts come to light just 10 days after it was revealed that the Department of Justice was investigating the PGA Tour for anticompetitive behavior" amid its battle with LIV Golf.








SENATOR JOHN CORNYN WANTS TO KNOW IF DOJ’S INVESTIGATION INTO THE PGA TOUR WAS TO HELP SAUDI ARABIA AHEAD OF BIDEN TRIP


Not long after the first tee shot was struck in the inaugural LIV Golf event, the PGA Tour announced that all players who defected to the rival circuit were indefinitely suspended from competing in PGA Tour events. This punishment is what LIV Golf, along with some golf fans and media members, sees as anticompetitive.

PGA Tour players that wanted to play in LIV Golf’s inaugural event requested a release to do so, which is common practice, but they were denied.



LIV Golf's Third Event Headed To Trump Bedminster


LIV Golf is preparing for its third event of the year which will be held at Trump Bedminster in New Jersey from July 29-31.

Former President Donald Trump has been vocal with his criticisms of the PGA Tour since the LIV Golf series officially got underway.

Trump recently took to Truth Social to share his thoughts about the ongoing battle in the golf world while also sending a warning to PGA Tour players not willing to make the jump to LIV.

“All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year,” the former President wrote.

In December of 2021, the PGA Tour settled with The Trump Organization. The settlement pertained to the Tour moving the 2022 PGA Championship from Trump Bedminster shortly after the events that took place at the Capitol on January 6.

The season-ending team championship for LIV Golf will also be held at a Trump-owned course, the Blue Monster at Trump National in Miami at the end of October.











Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.