PGA Tour’s Ron Price, Jimmy Dunne to testify in front of congress next week

Next week’s hearing before the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will not be what lawmakers had envisioned.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., requested PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman and the governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, to testify on July 11 on the “framework” agreement that was announced last month and ended a year-long turf war between the circuit and the rival league.

Instead of Monahan, who is recovering from a “medical situation,” the Tour will be represented by Ron Price, the circuit’s chief operating officer, and Jimmy Dunne, an independent director on the Tour’s policy board. Norman and Al-Rumayyan are unable to attend the hearing because of “scheduling conflicts,” according to a statement from Blumenthal and Johnson.

“Both Governor al-Rumayyan and Mr. Norman have valuable information to share about the operations of the Public Investment Fund, the future of LIV Golf, and Saudi Arabia’s plans to invest in golf and other sports. Consistent with our subcommittee’s practice, we look forward to working with both witnesses to find a mutually agreeable date for them to appear in the very near future,” the joint statement read.

Dunne negotiated the agreement with the PIF to create a new, for-profit entity between the Tour, LIV Golf and PIF, which will make a minority investment in what is initially being called NewCo. Price is running the day-to-day operations of the Tour along with executive vice president Tyler Dennis while Monahan recovers.

“We look forward to appearing before the Senate Subcommittee to answer their questions about the framework agreement that keeps the PGA Tour as the leader of professional golf’s future and benefits our players, our fans, and our sport,” the Tour said in a statement.

The Tour sent the five-page agreement to Blumenthal and Johnson last week as part of the lawmaker’s review of the deal as well as the circuit’s tax-exempt status and possible antitrust concerns. Although the request to testify at next Tuesday’s hearing is not legally binding, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations does have the authority to subpoena witnesses.