July 11, (THEWILL) – The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly looking into the PGA Tour about possible anti-competitive behaviour in relation to their response to the new Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf.
The PGA Tour’s bylaws and most recent steps with LIV Golf have been discussed with the players’ agents by the DOJ’s antitrust division, as the new golf league, which is supported by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has attracted a number of well-known golfers, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka.
Players that participated in the first LIV Golf event were suspended by the PGA Tour in June, and those who renounced their PGA membership would not again be permitted to compete in Tour competitions. The PGA Tour recently made adjustments to entice golfers to stay, such as raising payouts and reducing the schedule, but some still leave, attracted by LIV hefty signing bonuses.
The Department of Justice’s inquiry might do the PGA Tour further damage, but the group does not seem discouraged with a PGA Tour spokesman saying of the new probe. “This was not unexpected. We went through this in 1994 and we are confident in a similar outcome.”
The prohibition on players participating in non-PGA events without the commissioner’s approval was one rule the FTC examined. Players were not given a release to compete in the LIV Golf International Series event in London last month, thus this still plays a significant role in the narrative.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
