Inside the PGA Tour’s Washington lobbying effort against the Saudi-funded LIV golf league – By Brian Schwartz (CNBC) / July 21, 2022
- The PGA Tour has been speaking behind the scenes with White House officials and congressional lawmakers about its concerns with LIV Golf, a rival league funded by Saudi Arabia.
- As plans for LIV Golf were coming together, the PGA Tour quietly started reaching out to the White House and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in the second quarter of 2021.
Since last year, the PGA Tour has been speaking behind the scenes with White House officials and congressional lawmakers about its concerns with LIV Golf, a rival league funded by Saudi Arabia.
As plans for LIV Golf were coming together, the PGA Tour quietly started reaching out to the White House and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in the second quarter of 2021, according to lobbying disclosure reports and people familiar with the matter.
Since last year, the PGA Tour has paid $360,000 to the firm DLA Piper to lobby lawmakers on their behalf for multiple topics, including “Saudi Golf League proposals.”
The PGA Tour shelled out $120,000 in the second quarter of 2022, which spans from April to June 30, according to the most recent filing. Records show that’s the most the PGA Tour has spent on lobbying in a given time period since it spent the same amount in the first half of 2004 to seek federal appropriations and grants for a charity golf program for young people, according to a filing.
