PGA LIV deal: Trump loves it, Democrats hate it and regulators may have questions

WASHINGTON: Former president Donald Trump and other conservatives praised the planned merger of PGA Golf and Saudi-backed LIV, which would end an acrimonious battle for the world's top golfers, but some Democrats were less enthusiastic and the deal could face US government probes, experts said.

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and one-time bitter rivals LIV Golf circuit announced a landmark agreement on Tuesday (Jun 6) to merge.

Veteran organiser PGA and newcomer LIV had fought over whether golfers who accepted LIV's bigger paychecks could also play in PGA tournaments, with some players also expressing distaste about LIV's backing by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) because of the country's human rights record, including the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the PIF, will be chairman of the new entity's board of directors.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said he planned to keep a close eye on the deal and expressed surprise at the PGA's change of heart.

"The PGA Tour has spent two years lambasting Saudi sports-washing and paying lip service (to) the integrity of the sport of golf, which will now be used unabashedly by the Kingdom to distract from its many crimes," he said in a statement.

Senator Chris Murphy, another Democrat, tweeted: "So weird. PGA officials were in my office just months ago talking about how the Saudis' human rights crimes should disqualify them from having a stake in a major American sport. I guess maybe their concerns weren't really about human rights?"

But Trump, who owns three courses on LIV Golf's 14-event schedule for 2023, celebrated the deal in a Truth Social post. "Great news from Liv Golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the