The manicured fairways of professional golf, once a bastion of tradition and sportsmanship, have become a battleground. On one side stands the PGA Tour, the entrenched titan of American golf, backed by a network of legacy institutions. On the other, LIV Golf, the brash Saudi-funded upstart, has disrupted the sport with its deep pockets and bold vision.
Now, whispers from inside LIV Golf, the legal community, and the Trump White House suggest the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is poised to launch a formal investigation into the PGA Tour and the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for alleged collusion and monopolistic practices, a move that could reshape the sport’s future.
The Spark of Suspicion
At 10 a.m., I stepped into the sleek offices of a top West Palm Beach law firm for a high-stakes sit-down with four heavy hitters: a Trump White House aide, a former LIV Golf exec, and two sharp lawyers — one, a battle-hardened antitrust veteran, the other, a practicing attorney doubling as legal rep for two LIV Golf stars.
Speaking off the record, and sitting at a midsized round mahogany table, they unleashed a bombshell: a DOJ probe into the PGA Tour and OWGR for collusion feels not just likely but unstoppable.
“We’ve been saying it since day one,” said the antitrust veteran, sipping a tall Starbucks coffee.
“The PGA Tour isn’t just competing, it’s strangling competition. They’ve weaponized the OWGR and their alliances to lock out LIV.
“The DOJ’s interest proves we’re not just shouting into the void.”
The OWGR, golf’s global ranking system, has been a flashpoint in the PGA-LIV feud. LIV Golf’s events, despite attracting superstars like Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka, have been denied ranking points, effectively barring the majority of LIV players from qualifying for major championship tournaments through standard pathways.
The OWGR board, which includes representatives from the PGA Tour, Augusta National, the R&A, the USGA, and the PGA of America, among other establishment bodies, has cited LIV’s 54-hole, no-cut format as the primary reasons for exclusion. However, the LIV Golf agent calls these reasons baseless, arguing they wouldn’t withstand legal scrutiny, as most PGA Tour signature events are no-cut and the OWGR grants points to several 54-hole tours.
“It’s a shameless, orchestrated hit job,” the LIV Golf agent snarled, slamming his water bottle on the table.
“The PGA Tour’s puppeteering the OWGR to crush LIV, fully aware that majors are a golfer’s lifeline.
“This isn’t just defending their empire — it’s rigging the whole damn sport.”
The agent yanks out his iPhone, pulling up the OWGR site with a flourish. “Let’s be real here. Does anyone on planet Earth believe Keegan Bradley, Russell Henley, J.J. Spaun, and Sepp Straka — all comfy in the top 10, mind you — are better than Jon Rahm, stuck at 63rd?
“Or that the John Deere Classic winner, topping a field of nobodies, deserves 44 points, while Patrick Reed, who outdueled the likes of Rahm and Bryson at LIV Golf Dallas, gets zilch? It’s a total farce.”
“It sure sounds like a rigged system,” exclaims the Trump White House aide.
The DOJ’s interest, according to the partner with antitrust experience, stems from a broader scrutiny of the PGA Tour’s actions since LIV’s inception in 2022. The department has already investigated the Tour for anticompetitive behavior, including player suspensions and warnings issued to those considering LIV contracts.
Now, the focus is sharpening on whether the PGA Tour and OWGR have colluded to suppress LIV’s growth, potentially violating the Sherman Antitrust Act’s prohibitions on monopolistic practices.
“The DOJ clearly sees a pattern,” said the antitrust guru. “The PGA Tour’s control over player access to majors, through the OWGR and its alliances, smells a lot like a cartel.
“If they’re found to be colluding to exclude a competitor, it’s a textbook antitrust violation.”
The Trump Factor
The investigation’s momentum has been amplified by an unlikely figure: President Donald Trump. In town while POTUS spends the weekend at Mar-a-Lago, the longtime Trump aide, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, revealed that his boss has taken a keen interest in the golf dispute.
Trump golf properties, including Doral, Bedminster, and D.C., have each hosted LIV events since the league’s inception, thus forging a close alliance with LIV’s Saudi backers, the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Mr. Trump himself is said to be close with the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, often referred to as MBS.
“Trump sees this as a chance to establish fairness,” the aide said. “Earlier this year, after winning the presidency, he tried to broker a deal between LIV and the Tour — he even had Jay Monahan, Adam Scott and Tiger inside the Oval. But the Tour, as they always seem to do, used the meeting as a pretext to delay further.
The aide said bluntly, “It pissed him off.”
Trump’s personal stake is undeniable. The PGA Tour moved its World Golf Championship from Doral to Mexico in 2017 — a slight that shocked many, and the PGA of America yanked the 2022 PGA Championship from Bedminster after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. LIV Golf, by contrast, has embraced Trump’s venues, with Doral hosting a LIV event in each of its four seasons with Bedminster and DC also playing host.
Behind closed doors, Trump has reportedly asked DOJ officials about the investigation, framing it as a matter of fairness in American sports.
“He talks about it like it’s a personal crusade,” said the aide, who worked at Trump’s golf courses at one time. “He loves the PGA Tour. He loves Tiger and Jack. But feels Jay was wrong to ban players like DJ, Bryson, Phil, etc. ‘Deals don’t get made by taking the most extreme position,’ he always says. He feels that was the wrong decision. Sure, it’s golf, but it’s also about fairness.”
The DOJ’s interest predates Trump’s return to the White House, with probes into the PGA Tour’s actions reported as early as 2022. But Trump’s influence has raised the stakes. The legal source cautioned that political pressure could complicate the investigation’s impartiality.
“The DOJ has to tread carefully,” the two lawyers said jointly. “If it looks like Trump’s settling scores, it could undermine the case’s credibility.”
The FOX Partnership
Rupert Murdoch, through Fox Corporation, owns Fox Sports, including channels like FS1 and FS2, which have emerged as key media partners for LIV Golf.
A January 2025 announcement declared a formal broadcast partnership between LIV Golf and Fox Sports, with LIV events airing on Fox, FS1, FS2, and Fox Business, with Fox paying a rights fee — a significant shift from earlier reports that LIV paid Fox for airtime.
This partnership contrasts with CBS and NBC, which have long-term, lucrative contracts with the PGA Tour (worth $700 million annually through 2030, per Sports Business Journal).
Trump’s affinity for Fox, hostility toward CBS and NBC, and personal stake in LIV (hosting events at Trump properties like Doral) amplify the political dimensions, as the White House aide’s “personal crusade” remark highlights.
Trump’s hatred for CBS and NBC, rooted in their liberal biased coverage of his administration, contrasts with his “working relationship” with Murdoch, despite occasional spats.
Fox News and Fox Sports’ LIV coverage can frame CBS and NBC (see recent lawsuits) as complicit in the PGA Tour’s “cartel,” per the attorney’s term, aligning with Trump’s narrative of legacy media as adversaries. This politicized framing could pressure the DOJ to scrutinize the PGA Tour’s media partners, indirectly supporting LIV’s case.
The Legal Battlefield
In the legal community, the prospect of a formal DOJ investigation has sparked intense debate. Antitrust experts see parallels to historic cases like the 1994 Federal Trade Commission probe into the PGA Tour, which ended without penalties but exposed vulnerabilities in the Tour’s governance. A prominent Boston-based attorney, who has advised sports organizations but declined to be named, outlined the DOJ’s potential case.
“The PGA Tour’s dominance relies on controlling access,” the attorney explained. “They don’t just run tournaments, they dictate who can play where. By suspending players and denying LIV’s OWGR points, they’re arguably restraining trade. Add in their cozy relationships with the majors and the DP World Tour, and you’ve got a strong case for collusion.”
The OWGR’s role is particularly contentious. The LIV Golf agent described its decision-making as “opaque and conflicted.”
“Want to know how corrupt the OWGR is? They recently tapped Trevor Immelmann as the new chairman — yes, the same Immelamn who’s the PGA Tour’s cheerleader on CBS. Guess they figured why bother hiding the bias?” joked the agent, as the other three at the table smirked.
With PGA Tour executives on the OWGR board, the anti-trust expert argued, there’s an inherent bias against LIV.
“The OWGR isn’t a neutral arbiter — it’s an extension of the PGA Tour’s power,” he said. “If the DOJ can prove coordination to exclude LIV, it’s game over.
“Expect subpoenas to fly – and when they start anything can happen. Believe me, the Tour does not want this investigation to launch.”
LIV Golf’s own lawsuit against the PGA Tour, filed in 2022, alleged similar anticompetitive behavior but was dropped after the 2023 framework agreement to merge the tours. That deal, which remains unfinalized, has itself drawn DOJ scrutiny for potential antitrust violations. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, in a 2025 report, accused the PIF of using merger talks to dodge discovery in the antitrust litigation, further fueling suspicions of backroom maneuvering.
For LIV Golf, the DOJ’s interest is a chance to level the playing field. A senior LIV executive described a strategy of “quiet persistence.”
“We’re not just throwing money around,” he said. “We’re building a case, sharing evidence with regulators, showing how the PGA Tour’s actions hurt players and fans.
“The truth is on our side.”
The Stakes for Golf
As the DOJ weighs a formal investigation, the golf world braces for impact. A finding of collusion could force the PGA Tour to overhaul its bylaws, grant retroactive OWGR points to LIV players, and even face financial penalties. It could also embolden private antitrust lawsuits under the Clayton Act, as players seek damages for lost opportunities, starting in 2022.
The key is “retroactive,” noted the agent.
Within LIV Golf, there’s cautious optimism. “This isn’t about destroying the PGA Tour,” the executive insisted. “It’s about coexistence. Fans want to see the best players compete, not this fractured mess.”
But the West Palm Beach-based partner warned of a protracted battle.
“Antitrust cases are slow and complex,” he said. “The DOJ will need airtight evidence, and the PGA Tour won’t go down without a fight.”
The Trump White House aide, though, predicted a swift resolution. “Trump wants this done fast,” he said. “He feels the threat of an investigation would get the parties back to the negotiating table fast. No one wants the DOJ to start digging, it could lead to a mess for everyone.
“The president has told Monahan and Al-Rumayyan he can broker a deal, but if the PGA Tour digs in, he’s ready to let the DOJ tee off.”
For now, the fairways remain divided, with PGA Tour loyalists and LIV rebels competing in separate orbits, save for the majors. But as the DOJ’s shadow looms, the game of golf faces a reckoning — one that could redefine its power structure and restore unity or deepen its wounds.
