PGA Tour Alleges LIV Golf’s Saudi Backers Disrespect US Courts

In response to paperwork filed as a part of the continuing authorized battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the previous alleges that the Saudi Arabian backers of the latter have refused to respect the authority of courts in america and declare U.S. courts don’t have jurisdiction over them.

Per The Wall Road Journal, the PGA Tour alleges that Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund (PIF) and its lead govt Yasir Al-Rumayyan have refused to provide paperwork or sit for depositions after accepting courtroom subpoenas throughout the discovery course of.

“There isn’t a severe dispute that PIF and Mr. Al-Rumayyan possess extremely related discovery within the underlying motion. PIF created, funded, and owns LIV; PIF and Mr. Al-Rumayyan have had efficient management over LIV from its inception,” the submitting reads. “PIF and Mr. Al-Rumayyan now assert that there isn’t a courtroom within the U.S. with jurisdiction over them; declare to be immune from discovery altogether; and deny that they’re related to LIV’s lawsuit in any means.”

If true, maybe the Tour’s allegations shouldn’t be all that shocking on condition that LIV has obtained sturdy help from former president Donald Trump, a person who has not proven the very best degree of respect or regard for the U.S. judicial system or the authorized course of at numerous occasions all through his profession.

Trump hosted the ultimate occasion of LIV’s inaugural season final month at Trump Nationwide Doral Golf Membership in Florida and informed The New York Occasions he had no qualms about having the controversial circuit at his family-controlled golf programs regardless of Saudi Arabia’s shaky-at-best human rights report. “We’ve got human rights points on this nation, too,” Trump stated.

The 76-year-old additionally criticized the PGA Tour and stated that the world’s prime golf sequence “has been destroyed” by itself. “They need to have embraced as a substitute of preventing,” he stated. “You’re not going to beat these folks. These folks have nice spirit, they’re phenomenal folks and so they have limitless cash — limitless.”

Which may be true, however up thus far, that cash has been unable to purchase LIV Golf a TV rights deal or increase its standing above being something greater than a distraction. Nonetheless, the sequence will press on as LIV is planning 14 occasions subsequent yr (up from eight in 2022) and plans to supply $405 million in prize cash (up from $255 million in 2022). Ultimately, the sequence is hopeful that its workforce format will catch on and convey its first-year income ($75 million) just a little nearer to what the PGA Tour took in (about $1.5 billion) final season.