According to a Wednesday Wall Street Journal article, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking into the renowned Augusta National Golf Club as part of an antitrust investigation into the professional golf industry.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the renowned Masters Tournament’s host has apparently provided papers to the Justice Department as part of the investigation, which at first appeared to just focus on the PGA Tour.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the United States Golf Association, the nation’s governing body for the sport, is also under investigation and has stated that it will abide by any requests in full.
The PGA Tour is the subject of an investigation by the DOJ following claims of anticompetitive behavior in The Wall Street Journal, which originally broke the news in July.
The DOJ was under investigation by The Wall Street Journal for allegedly acting anticompetitively toward the PGA Tour in response to the fledgling LIV Golf tour, according to a July story.
The PGA Tour, which forbids its players from participating in any televised golf competitions without its consent, has suspended and punished players who have chosen to join the league supported by Saudi Arabia.
In an antitrust complaint launched in August against the PGA Circuit, Phil Mickelson and a number of other players who have switched to LIV Golf claimed that the tour is a “entrenched monopolist with a vice-grip on professional golf.”
A request for comment from the DOJ did not immediately receive a response. According to Augusta National, no one was available to comment.
