Justice Department to probe PGA Tour deal with Saudi-funded LIV Golf

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division has informed the PGA Tour it will review the organization’s proposed merger with Saudi-funded LIV Golf, a source told NBC News on Thursday.

The Justice Department and LIV Golf declined to comment. CNBC has reached out to the PGA Tour.

The announcement of the deal last week immediately triggered antitrust concerns.

This week, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden and Oregon urged the DOJ to open a probe into the agreement. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also opened an investigation into the deal. Wyden launched his own investigation Thursday.

The PGA Tour’s once-adversarial relationship with LIV was already under scrutiny by the DOJ, which last year started investigating whether the PGA Tour had engaged in anticompetitive behavior.