ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The US Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the PGA Tour’s handling of its players and whether it engaged in anticompetitive behavior during its ongoing battle with LIV Golf. Invitational Series, a new tournament sponsored by Public Investments of Saudi Arabia.
The investigation, according to player agents who have been contacted with DOJ officials, focuses on the PGA Tour’s actions in relation to the Official World Golf Rankings, the warning it issued to those players were planning to join LIV Golf and suspension was imposed on left-leaning players by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
A spokesperson for the PGA Tour confirmed the DOJ’s request to ESPN. The Wall Street Journal first detailed the investigation on Monday.
“This was not unexpected,” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “We went through this in 1994 and we believe in a similar outcome.”
A player’s agent told ESPN Monday that he was first contacted by DOJ officials about three weeks ago. His client left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf. The agent does not want his or the player’s identity revealed because of the sensitive nature of the investigation.
“They opened an investigation about the PGA Tour and wanted to know if [my client] will be willing to participate in a confidential and voluntary interview,” the representative said. They wanted to ask him about his interactions with the PGA Tour during the development of LIV Golf. “
The representative added that the DOJ’s attorneys are “a bit like a dog with a bone in their bones. They’re on this issue. I hope they’ll dig as deep as they can because it’s all about this. can speak.”
Monahan has indefinitely suspended more than 20 players from competing in LIV Golf’s first two events in London, England and Portland, Oregon, without granting a conflict event release. Among them are former major champions Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson.
Several players have been lured by LIV Golf by signing bonuses of more than $100 million and $25 million per event.
Several players, including former Masters champions Patrick Reed and Garcia, have resigned from the PGA Tour.
One of the issues being closely examined by the DOJ, according to another representative, is whether the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the tournaments’ governing bodies conspired not to award Official World Golf Ratings points. for LIV players or not. The 48 players who competed in the first two LIV events did not earn world ranking points.
Three players, including longtime PGA Tour member Ian Poulter, was given permission by a British court to stay to compete in the Scottish Open last week. They were banned from competing in the event co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
In 1994, the Federal Trade Commission investigated whether the PGA Tour violated federal law by requiring its members to get the commissioner’s permission to play in outside events and appear on shows. other golf TV shows. The FTC ended that poll without penalizing the PGA Tour.
Managing Director LIV Golf Greg Normantwo-time Open champion, has argued that professional golfers are independent contractors and should be allowed to play wherever they want.
“You are certainly funny,” Norman wrote in a letter to Monahan in February. “And certainly, your attorneys at the PGA Tour must hold their breath. As has been widely reported, you have threatened the players on the PGA Tour, all of which are independent contractors, with an injunction throughout. life if they decide to play golf in a tournament sponsored by anyone other than the Tournament.
“But when you try to deceive and intimidate players by bullying and threatening them, you’re guilty of going too far, being unfair, and you’re most likely violating federal law.”
