PGA Tour, US Golf Association, & Augusta National Golf Club under antitrust investigation

The Department of Justice’s antitrust investigation into American professional golf reportedly includes the United States Golf Association, the PGA Tour, the PGA of America, and the Augusta National Golf Club.

Reports from the Wall Street Journal say the investigation has a broader scope than previously thought, with the DOJ looking into some of the most powerful and important bodies in the sport of golf. 

All four bodies constitute the four biggest powers in American golf. Outside of the PGA Tour being the most popular and powerful professional golf league in the world, the other three are tasked with organizing three of golf’s four major tournaments. 

The USGA runs and operates the U.S. Open, Augusta National hosts The Masters, and the PGA of America – a separate entity from the PGA Tour – organizes the PGA Championship.

This comes as the PGA Tour remains in a heated battle with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour for players, money, eyeballs and legitimacy. LIV has been pursuing their own antitrust lawsuit against the PGA tour in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. 

The DOJ is now looking into many of the most important bodies in American golf – including the PGA of America, Augusta National Golf Club, and the PGA Tour in an antitrust investigation

In a statement to DailyMail.com, the USGA – golf’s governing body in the US and the group that runs the U.S. Open – confirmed that they ‘have been contacted by the Department of Justice and are fully complying with any/all requests.’ They refrained from any further comment ‘given this is a legal matter.’

DailyMail.com reached out to the PGA of America, Augusta National and the PGA Tour for comment – as well as the Department of Justice – but did not receive any response.

This investigation is surely helpful to LIV, who filed their own separate antitrust suit earlier this year. They’ve argued the PGA Tour has acted illegally by suspending LIV players from all of its events – including the FedEx Cup playoffs. The Tour has filed a countersuit, saying LIV harmed the tour by interfering with its deals for golfers.

However, the DOJ investigation has reportedly been subject to scrutiny. As the Journal reports, members of congress ‘have raised objections to the DOJ pursuing the golf inquiry at all, accusing the federal agency of helping the Saudis’. 

The USGA, which operates the US Open, confirmed to DailyMail.com they’ve been contacted by the Department of Justice and are ‘fully complying with any/all requests’

Outside of the Tour, LIV has been specifically targeting Augusta National Golf Club, who they say threatened to uninvite players who joined the breakaway Saudi league. LIV’s suit says AGNC has also taken steps to better align itself with the PGA Tour.

LIV is currently fighting for legitimacy in the form of points in the Official World Golf Ranking, which its members currently don’t earn. OWGR points help determine the best players in the world and is an important metric in deciding which players can compete in golf’s four majors: the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, and the Open Championship – commonly known as the British Open and run by the R&A.

Legal filings from LIV say Augusta club chairman Fred Ridley has been central to its tour being central in the fight between the two tours. Documents say that Ridley ‘personally instructed’ participants in last year’s Masters to not join LIV. It also says Ridley and the chairman of the R&A threatened the CEO of the Asian Tour, a LIV partner. 

Augusta National is one of the most well known courses in the world, yet it’s one of the most guarded. The club rarely lets its business be known or its opinions on public issues. In spite of this, sources at the Journal say Augusta National has produced documents for the Justice Department probe.

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Both the PGA of America and the PGA Tour (separate entities) are also under investigation