LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, a former golf champion with over 89 tournament wins, is reportedly planning to meet with members of Congress this week as the upstart golf tournament reckons with criticism over its ties with Saudi Arabia.
Part of the goal of the Capitol Hill visit is to help reshape LIV's public image and counter the PGA Tour's"attempts to stifle our progress in reimagining the game," Politico Playbook reported.“LIV Golf is coming to the Hill this week to meet with lawmakers from both parties,” spokesman Jonathan Grella told the outlet.
Over the summer, the Department of Justice announced it was investigating the PGA Tour for allegations of anti-competitive practices. The PGA had suspended 17 members at the time who agreed to compete in a LIV Golf event. The PGA has long been a dominant player in the golf world, but LIV has emerged as an upstart competitor over recent months. The tournament has received criticism for receiving funding from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. LIV has used this funding to dole out lucrative contracts to attract high-profile golfers to its events. This has fomented uproar from families of 9/11 victims and led to protests.
Groups such as 9/11 Families United and 9/11 Justice have panned LIV Golf and players who have participated in its events for accepting"blood money" from the kingdom. They have referenced FBI reports reviewing connections between Riyadh and the terrorist attack that killed roughly 3,000. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia.
Additional concerns have been raised about U.S. intelligence reports linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Salman has vehemently denied responsibility for Khashoggi's death, and the kingdom has denied culpability for 9/11.LIV appears to have at least one prominent politician in its corner.
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