Randall Stephenson Resigns from PGA Tour Policy Board Over LIV Alliance

Randall Stephenson resigned from the PGA Tour's policy board due to "serious concerns" over the proposed partnership with LIV Golf, according to the Washington Post's Rick Maese.

In a letter to colleagues, he wrote how the agreement "is not one that I can objectively evaluate or in good conscience support, particularly in light of the U.S. intelligence report concerning Jamal Khashoggi in 2018."

A U.S. intelligence report contended that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 murder of Khashoggi, a journalist who had been critical of the Saudi regime.

The PGA Tour shocked the golf world when it announced June 6 it struck a deal to partner with LIV Golf. The sides had been locked in contentious litigation, and LIV launched a head-to-head battle against the tour by poaching a number of golf's top stars.

A year earlier, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had attempted to claim the moral high ground over LIV Golf.

In addition to the murder of Khashoggi, critics of LIV pointed to the role of Saudi nationals in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.

9/11 Families United, an organization whose members lost loved ones in the attacks, said it was "shocked and deeply offended" to learn of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf's agreement.

"PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan co-opted the 9/11 community last year in the PGA's unequivocal agreement that the Saudi LIV project was nothing more than sportswashing of Saudi Arabia's reputation," chairperson Terry Strada said. "But now the PGA and Monahan appear to have become just more paid Saudi shills, taking billions of dollars to cleanse the Saudi reputation so that Americans and the world will forget how the Kingdom spent their billions of dollars before 9/11 to fund terrorism, spread their vitriolic hatred of Americans, and finance al Qaeda and the murder of our loved ones."

The planned merger faces regulatory scrutiny in the United States. On Tuesday, PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron Price and board member Jimmy Dunne are scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations

Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Ron Johnson have also asked Monahan, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman and Yasir Al-Rumayyan to testify in front of the committee. Al-Rumayyan is the governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV.

Beyond the congressional inquiry, Maese wrote how Stephenson's departure "suggests the partnership faces significant hurdles if it is to move forward." The PGA Tour's policy board has yet to provide the necessary approval for the venture.