LIV Golf players to be eligible for PGA Tour return as part of agreement with Saudis

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The PGA Tour and European tour have agreed to work with Saudi backers of LIV Golf to decide how defectors to the rival league can return and what kind of punishment they should face, according to a framework agreement obtained by The Associated Press.

The agreement also said the for-profit company to be formed by the PGA Tour and the Saudis will be the "entity for professional golf" and that the tours will coexist with LIV Golf.

The framework agreement, signed on May 30, was among documents requested by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., for a July 11 hearing in Washington. Blumenthal chairs the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

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Team Captain Dustin Johnson of 4 Aces GC and teammates Pat Perez, Patrick Reed, and Talor Gooch pose with Greg Norman, CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, after winning the team title during Day Three of the LIV Golf Invitational - Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms on September 18, 2022 in Sugar Grove, Illinois. (Joe Scarnici/LIV Golf via Getty Images)

"Our goal is to uncover the facts about what went into the PGA Tour’s deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and what the Saudi takeover means for the future of this cherished American institution and our national interest," Blumenthal said last week.

The PGA Tour has said it would participate, though it was not clear if Commissioner Jay Monahan would attend. He stepped away on June 13 — one week after the stunning deal was announced — for a "medical situation" and turned day-to-day operations over to two executives.

LIV Golf returns this week in Spain and at least finishes the 2023 season, if