PGA Tour

A judge has ruled that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and its governor can be deposed and must produce documents in the ongoing litigation battles ...

LIV is expected to appeal the decision, which would then go to U.S. Al-Rumayyan, who is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s inner circle, is considered the mastermind of the Golf Saudi and LIV Golf projects. The PIF is the primary backer of LIV, and documents the PGA Tour obtained in discovery in December allege that PIF and Al-Rumayyan were “instrumental in inducing players to breach their tour contracts.” The tour argues Al-Rumayyan personally recruited players, “played an active role in contract negotiations, and expressly approved each of the player contracts—all while knowing that these deals would interfere with the players’ tour contracts.”

A federal judge dealt a blow to LIV Golf, one that could radically change the fledgling circuit's anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.

LIV Golf has long been criticized as a way for the Kingdom to sportswash its human rights record with guaranteed money and multi-million dollar deals. PIF’s actions are indisputably the type of actions by which a private party engages in trade and traffic or commerce.” However, officials for the Saudi-run firm have insisted they only have high-level oversight over LIV Golf and don’t deal with day-to-day operations. A redacted copy of the order was included in a filing released late Thursday. “This isn’t what a government does. District Court of Northern District of California, rejected the argument in an order that was made Feb.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and its governor had argued they had sovereign immunity in the legal battle.

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In the ongoing legal battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the tour recorded a significant legal victory Thursday relative to the scope of discovery.

In a decision made February 9 but only made public last Thursday afternoon in California, Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen ruled that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, must comply with subpoenas filed by the PGA Tour in August 2022 relating to LIV’s antitrust lawsuit against the tour. Van Keulen wrote that “PIF is not a mere investor in LIV; it is the moving force behind the founding, funding, oversight and operation of LIV.” Hence, the PGA Tour is entitled to discovery from PIF and ... In the ongoing legal battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the tour recorded a significant legal victory relative to the scope of discovery.

A federal judge has ruled the leader of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, which bankrolls LIV Golf, can be deposed by PGA Tour attorneys.

[PGA Tour](/news/tour/pga-tour) was exaggerating the role of PIF and Al-Rumayyan. [dropped out](/liv-golf/phil-mickelson-withdraws-antitrust-lawsuit-filed-against-pga-tour) of proceedings after LIV Golf added themselves as a plaintiff. [revenue ](/liv-golf/virtually-zero-liv-golf-attorneys-make-embarrassing-revenue-confession)in its first year. [revealed](/liv-golf/greg-norman-left-red-faced-after-liv-golf-revelation-sounds-m-bs-me) that PIF owns 93 per cent of LIV and pays all of the costs associated with its events. [recruited](/masters/report-saudis-tried-rent-augusta-clubhouse-during-masters-recruit-liv) PGA Tour players and played an active role in contract negotiations. [countersuit](/pga-tour/pga-tour-countersues-liv-golf-freeriding-tour-and-its-platform).

The Saudi-backed golf circuit is suing the more established PGA Tour. A judge's ruling could cast an uncomfortable spotlight on the kingdom's involvement.

But in this instance, it seems the magistrate judge really laid out the rationale and it reads quite reasonably.” The PGA Tour is trying to add the PIF and al-Rumayyan as defendants to its counterclaim, but the judge has yet to issue a ruling on those efforts. In a January filing, the tour said that “recently produced documents confirm that PIF and Mr. into court,” John Bash, an attorney representing the fund and al-Rumayyan, told the court at a hearing last month. …This opinion is unusual in the sense that usually you can’t jump all the hurdles to get to this point; one of them stops you. While LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman has been the public face of LIV Golf, al-Rumayyan has been the one portrayed as controlling the purse strings. PIF’s actions are indisputably the type of actions by which a private party engages in trade and traffic or commerce.” LIV Golf is technically owned by a U.K.-based company called LIV Golf Holdings, which is owned by another company called LIV Golf Investments. [began with 11 plaintiffs](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/03/mickelson-liv-pga-tour-lawsuit/?itid=lk_inline_manual_18) last August, headlined by Phil Mickelson, claiming the tour engaged in anti-competitive behaviors as LIV Golf was getting off the ground. The Saudi Public Investment Fund had rebuffed the PGA Tour’s discovery efforts and LIV Golf argued that the U.S. In a 58-page opinion, which was unsealed late Thursday night, van Keulen found the “commercial activity exception” applies, as “PIF’s conduct in founding, funding, overseeing, and operating a professional golf league, LIV, is commercial activity.” Its lawyers contend that “PIF only provides high-level oversight, not the ‘pervasive control’ over day-to-day operations required to impute the subsidiary’s contacts to a foreign owner.”

A federal judge has ruled the PGA Tour can require documents and depositions from the Saudi Arabia wealth fund and its leader.

LIV Golf has announced the addition of two more players for the second season — Mito Pereira of Chile, who is No. 46 in the world ranking; and Sebastian Munoz of Colombia, who is at No. Majed Al Sorour, the CEO of Golf Saudi and managing director of LIV Golf, was transitioned out of that role last month. The PGA Tour suspended the players for violating its membership regulations, which include requiring a release to play in overseas events. The PGA Tour has responded to LIV’s threat by created “elevated” events that offer $20 million in prize money, such as the Genesis Invitational this week in Los Angeles. “PIF’s actions are indisputably the type of actions by which a private party engages in trade and traffic or commerce.”

A California court rejected LIV's claim of sovereign immunity, clearing the way for the PGA Tour to learn a lot more about LIV, its funding and the people ...

Karen Riordan, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in a statement Thursday afternoon that ...

A federal judge has ruled the PGA Tour can require documents and depositions from the Saudi Arabia wealth fund and its leader.

LIV Golf has announced the addition of two more players for the second season — Mito Pereira of Chile, who is No. 46 in the world ranking; and Sebastian Munoz of Colombia, who is at No. Majed Al Sorour, the CEO of Golf Saudi and managing director of LIV Golf, was transitioned out of that role last month. The PGA Tour suspended the players for violating its membership regulations, which include requiring a release to play in overseas events. The PGA Tour has responded to LIV’s threat by created “elevated” events that offer $20 million in prize money, such as the Genesis Invitational this week in Los Angeles. “PIF's actions are indisputably the type of actions by which a private party engages in trade and traffic or commerce.”

A judge dealt LIV Golf a significant legal blow to on Thursday night, ruling the PGA Tour could compel documents from Saudi PIF officials.

Last summer, she dealt LIV another courtroom loss when she ruled that three LIV golfers — Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones — [were ineligible to compete in the FedEx Cup Playoffs](https://golf.com/news/liv-first-court-battle-winners-losers/). A third option, of course, would be for LIV to withdraw the lawsuit altogether, ending litigation and any hope of the kind of legal discovery that could shift LIV’s standing with the Tour, which has suspended its players indefinitely. Should the two parties fail to cooperate with the deposition, they could be held in contempt of court, a decision that could have grave consequences for LIV’s standing with the court in this case. The ruling could mark a watershed moment in the ongoing legal battle between LIV and the Tour over the Tour’s purported monopoly status. [Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Sovereign_Immunities_Act), a 1976 law that defines the role of the U.S. Al-Rumayyan and the PIF had sought protection from the Tour’s legal probes — which threaten to unearth information about the highly secretive fund — on the grounds of “sovereign immunity,” a premise rejected by judge Susan Van Keulen’s ruling.