Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks (R-IN) said he’d like to invite PGA golfers such as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus to meet with the conservative caucus to discuss the league’s differences with LIV Golf after hearing from LIV CEO Greg Norman on Wednesday.
Norman has been making an effort to meet with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, with the Australian golfer attending the RSC lunch to answer members’ questions and to advocate on behalf of the league, which has sparked concerns from some over its ties to Saudi Arabia.
As the PGA-LIV feud rages on, with LIV advocates arguing the PGA is attempting to stifle competition and PGA supporters sounding the alarm on Saudi human rights abuses, the Indiana Republican said he would be interested in hearing from both sides.
“Greg Norman is a legend, and it was great to have him in RSC. If Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus want to come talk about PGA and their differences with LIV Golf, they’re more than welcome,” Banks said.
“Our Republican Study Committee is a forum, and in my two years as chairman, we’ve had a number of lively discussions about a wide range of issues, and today was just another example of that,” he added.
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Norman’s appearance at the RSC lunch was met with mixed reviews from members, as Rep. Chip Roy asserted that those advocating on behalf of LIV should have to register as foreign agents. The Texas Republican argued that former President Donald Trump’s support for the league shouldn’t sway the GOP.
“I think my position has been fairly public, and I repeated what I’ve already put out there publicly about a billion dollars coming from the Saudi Arabians. I just want to know why they’re not registering as foreign agents under law,” he said. “I mean, you know, President Trump said, ‘Hey, this is the best public relations you can get for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.’ A billion dollars, and he said that sitting at Bedminster, so I’d just like to know why they haven’t registered as foreign agents, and they ought to address that.”
LIV Golf has managed to lure a number of high-profile PGA players away from the tour and recently joined an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA after 17 of its players were suspended for taking part in a June event.
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“I don’t care how Republicans feel about LIV Golf, I do care about how Republicans view the expansive promotion of the Saudi Arabian government in the United States, and we ought to be having continued conversations about that,” he said. “There’s no point in getting starstruck — these are golfers, they’re human beings.”
When asked whether he thought those advocating on behalf of LIV should register as foreign agents, Norman told reporters: ”We’re a commercial operation, so we’re here just to grow the game of golf.”
