• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
PoliticsDonald Trump

Donald Trump welcomes Saudi-backed golf tournament at one of his clubs, escalating years-long feud with ‘very disloyal’ PGA

By
Andrew Marquardt
Andrew Marquardt
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 19, 2022, 5:07 PM ET
1: US President Donald Trump golfs at Trump National Golf Club on November 21, 2020
Donald Trump is hosting a Saudi-backed golf tournament at one of his clubs, angering 9/11 families and survivors.Tasos Katopodis—Getty Images

If you’re a fan of golf, you’ve surely by now heard of the LIV Golf International Series, the new, big-money Saudi-backed competitor to the PGA Tour that has attracted golf greats Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, on the one hand—and the scorn of fans critical of the Middle Eastern country’s record on human rights on the other.

You might recall it cost Mickelson his 14-year-long sponsorship with KPMG after he said “They’re scary motherf***kers to get involved with” about the Saudis, but then added that LIV is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.” 

Now, less than a month after hosting its first U.S.-based event, LIV is gearing up for its next event on American soil, at none other than former President Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, N.J.

Trump, who famously spent almost a year’s worth of time golfing while he was president, enjoyed a close relationship with the PGA dating as far back as 2001, and Trump and the PGA announced a “major partnership” in 2014, featuring many events at Trump properties including Bedminster. 

Just a year later, in 2015, the PGA dropped the 2015 Grand Slam of Golf from Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles after Trump made racist remarks about Mexican immigrants on the campaign trail. It then stripped Trump National Doral Miami of the World Golf Championship in 2016, even though the event had been played at the Doral every year since 1962. Trump called it “a sad day for Miami, the United States, and the game of golf.” 

Finally, following the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol in 2021, the PGA announced it would no longer hold its 2022 PGA Championship at Trump’s Bedminster club.

The PGA has treated stars defecting for LIV very similarly. After LIV lured stars including Mickelson, Johnson, Sergio García, and Brooks Koepka by offering contracts as high as $200 million, the PGA suspended all 17 of them.

On Monday, Trump took to his own social media network Truth Social to voice his support for LIV golfers and criticize the PGA once again. 

“All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year,” Trump wrote on Monday. “If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place, and only say how smart the original signees were.”

Trump’s clubs are hosting two of the LIV’s U.S. tournaments, including its final team championship tournament in October at Doral Miami. It’s unclear how much money Trump is receiving for hosting the LIV tournament. 

Trump has well-documented close ties to Saudi Arabia, beyond the famously strange photo of him posing with King Salman of Saudi Arabia in front of a glowing orb while he was on a presidential visit. 

Last year, a New York Times report outlined a $2 billion investment from the Saudi crown prince to Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser Jared Kushner’s private equity firm, Affinity Partners, just six months after Trump left office. 

Trump’s decision to host the Saudi-backed tournament at his club is facing increasing backlash.

On Sunday, members of 9/11 Justice, a group of 9/11 survivors and victims’ families, sent a letter to the former president, expressing their “extreme pain, frustration, and anger” over Trump’s decision to host the upcoming tournament at his Bedminster club.

“We simply cannot understand how you could agree to accept money from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s golf league to host their tournament at your golf course, and to do so in the shadows of Ground Zero in New Jersey, which lost over 700 residents during the attacks,” the group wrote.

All but four of the 19 attackers on 9/11 were Saudi citizens, and 9/11 architect Osama bin Laden was born in the country. The Saudi government has denied its involvement in the attacks on numerous occasions, and in 2004, the congressionally funded 9/11 Commission said it had found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded the organization.” 

Trump has yet to comment on the letter, and Fortune’s requests to contact the former president through his website and through his Bedminster club were unanswered at the time of publication.

In an appearance on Fox News in 2016, which is mentioned in the letter, Trump supported the group’s claim, saying: “Who blew up the World Trade Center? It wasn’t the Iraqis. It was Saudi. Take a look at Saudi Arabia…The people came, most of the people came from Saudi Arabia. They didn’t come from Iraq.”

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Andrew Marquardt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
'I had to take 60 meetings': Jeff Bezos says 'the hardest thing I've ever done' was raising the first million dollars of seed capital for Amazon
By Dave SmithDecember 15, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Meetings are not work, says Southwest Airlines CEO—and he’s taking action, by blocking his calendar every afternoon from Wednesday to Friday 
By Preston ForeDecember 15, 2025
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Sorry, six-figure earners: Elon Musk says that money will 'disappear' in the future as AI makes work (and salaries) irrelevant
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 15, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, December 15, 2025
By Joseph HostetlerDecember 15, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Deloitte's CTO on a stunning AI transformation stat: Companies are spending 93% on tech and only 7% on people
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 15, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Ford writes down $19.5 billion as it pivots electric Lighting line of vehicles
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 15, 2025
18 hours ago

Latest in Politics

Asiageopolitics
Air strikes on casinos, colonial borders and a failed Trump ceasefire: What’s happening in the Thai-Cambodia conflict
By Angelica AngDecember 16, 2025
2 hours ago
PoliticsiRobot
Roomba bites the dust: iRobot files for bankruptcy, but don’t worry—your robot vacuum should still work
By Molly Liebergall and Morning BrewDecember 16, 2025
2 hours ago
Susan Monarez
PoliticsHealth
Gavin Newsom hires former CDC officials to work as public health consultants for state of California
By Sophie Austin and The Associated PressDecember 15, 2025
16 hours ago
Claire Lai
AsiaHong Kong
Imprisoned Hong Kong media mogul would find God and cease political activity if he were released, daughter says
By Didi Tang and The Associated PressDecember 15, 2025
16 hours ago
Trump
PoliticsWhite House
Trump may have hit a new low as he blames Rob Reiner’s death on ‘Trump derangement syndrome’
By Michelle L. Price and The Associated PressDecember 15, 2025
16 hours ago
A woman takes a bag of groceries during a free food distribution for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) organized by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office and The Jewish Federation at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on November 9, 2025.
PoliticsSNAP
Trump vows to fight ‘fraud’ in SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans
By Geoff Mulvihill and The Associated PressDecember 15, 2025
19 hours ago