PGA of America boss on PGA Tour/PIF deal? "Our brand has been dragged into it!"
PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh appeared a bit grumpy when he was asked about the PGA Tour's surprise deal with LIV Golf's Saudi backers.
PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh appeared a bit grumpy when he was asked about the PGA Tour's deal with LIV Golf's Saudi backers.
Speaking before the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Waugh was asked his thoughts in light of the tour's shock proposal to partner with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
That deal is now under intense scrutiny and the key players who brokered that agreement in secret over the last few months have now been invited to appear before a US Senate hearing to explain what, where, when and why the deal happened.
Whether PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan make the trip to Capitol Hill remains to be seen.
Related: LIV Golf team announces crypto currency sponsor
For his part, Waugh was insistent that it was 'not our news story'.
For those that need reminding, the PGA of America is separate organisation from the PGA Tour. It is the governing body of the PGA Championship and oversees golf's rules with the R&A, which oversees The Open.
| Move aside, Phil Mickelson and Collin Morikawa.
LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka and PGA of America boss Seth Waugh have combined to create golf's latest meme. pic.twitter.com/A45kivxLbo— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) May 22, 2023
It has to be pointed out that whilst Waugh is correct to highlight this, the PGA of America is under investigation by the US Department of Justice.
The US DoJ originally began investigation the PGA Tour over alleged anticompetitive conduct last year, but the scope of that inquiry has now expanded to include the PGA of America, USGA and Augusta National.
"Look, this is not our news story, right, it's others,'" Waugh told reporters. He also explained he doesn't believe the proposal between the PGA Tour and PIF is a 'merger'.
He added:
Waugh's comments come as another meeting was held for PGA Tour members before the Travelers Championship.
It doesn't appear that many answers were forthcoming, according to Adam Scott.
Scott told reporters at TPC River Highlands that he felt 'in the dark' over what happened and 'caught up emotionally' as he had previously rejected LIV Golf's advances.
As for Waugh, he caught the headlines before the PGA Championship when he was critical of LIV Golf's business model, describing it as flawed.
He was later involved in an hilarious moment when he handed Brooks Koepka the trophy in the immediate aftermath of his victory.
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