WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden asked the Justice Department to open an antitrust investigation into the planned deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, saying they believe it would result in a monopoly over professional golf operations.
The Democrats said in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland that the deal “deserves serious and urgent attention by U.S. antitrust agencies. We urge the DOJ and the Antitrust Division to allocate sufficient resources to closely scrutinize the proposed deal including a careful review of the overt monopolistic goals of the parties.”
The DOJ and PGA Tour did not immediately comment.
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and rival Saudi-backed LIV circuit, which had been involved in a bitter fight that split the sport, announced an agreement last week to merge and form one unified commercial entity.
The LIV Golf series is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. Critics have accused it of being a vehicle for the country to improve its reputation as it faces criticism of its human rights record.
On Monday, Senator Richard Blumenthal asked the PGA Tour and LIV Golf for communications and records on their planned tie-up.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
