If you think the rivalry between the PGA Tour and league rival LIV Golf couldn’t get crazier, grab your hat – because it just got crazier.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the Justice Department – yes, you read that correctly – is opening an investigation into whether the established tour used anti-competitive measures in its battle against the golf tournament. Greg Norman’s secession or not.
Based on CBS SportsThe investigation is ongoing and “players from the PGA Tour have received initial inquiries about the governing laws and actions of the PGA Tour over the past few months.”
CBS Sports also pointed out that this move by the DoJ is not surprising. In 1994, the Federal Trade Commission investigated the tournament for requiring players to be allowed to compete in non-PGA Tour events. In that case, the investigation ended with the PGA Tour relatively peaceful. This time around, it’s unclear whether the same thing will happen – or if players like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson will decide to take legal action.
Of course, this isn’t the first time legal trouble has stemmed from the ongoing feud between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf tournament. Just last week, a judge temporarily delayed a DP World Tour ban on players who had defected to the new tournament so they could compete in the Scottish Open, which is co-organized by DP World and this year’s PGA.
The PGA Tour schedule continues this week with the Open Championship taking place at the Old Course in St. Andrews, starting on Thursday. LIV Golf’s next event will run until July 29, when the tournament’s third event will take place at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
