A group representing surviving family members of those who died during the terror attacks on 9/11/2001 is blasting the PGA Tour for its sudden and surprising announcement that it is merging with LIV Golf, which is backed by the Saudi Arabian government.
9/11 Families United said LIV Golf is “bankrolled by billions of sportswashing money from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and accused the Saudi government of playing a role in the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.
The group has consistently criticized LIV Golf over its connection to the Saudi Royal Family.
Terry Strada, whose husband died in the terror attacks in 2001, accused PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan of being a “Saudi shill,” according to HuffPost.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan addresses the media during a press conference before the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 22, 2022, in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“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,” Strada said. “Make no mistake — we will never forget,” Strada said in a statement.
Despite several years of backbiting and accusations, the PGA Tour shocked the golf world Tuesday by announcing that it was merging with LIV to create one huge, for-profit golf league.
It is quite an about-face considering only a year ago, Monahan was seemingly siding with the 9/11 families on its LIV criticism.
Stephen Geiger posted the video of Monahan using 9/11 as a weapon to beat up LIV Golf. In the video clip, he claims he urged players not to join LIV due to the “implications” of the league’s connection to Saudi Arabia.
“I have two families that are close to me that lost loved ones,” Monahan said at the RBC Canadian Open. “My heart goes out to them, and I would ask that any player that has left, or that would ever consider leaving, have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?”
Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR, using 9/11 to shame players last year for taking life changing money from LIV…
Now, he has no problem with the money and merges LIV Golf with the PGA. Disgusting.pic.twitter.com/CUhIodZIpi
— Stephen Geiger (@Stephen_Geiger) June 6, 2023
Yet, now Monahan is celebrating this merger with a league he only recently spoke about while alluding to a terrorist act.
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