CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The PGA Tour is aware of a federal subpoena that references The Greenbrier Classic and plans to move ahead with this year’s golf event.
“Yes, we are aware of the subpoena through various media reports. Because it’s a matter between the WV Department of Commerce and the Greenbrier Resort and related entities, it would be inappropriate for us to comment,” stated Laura Neal, senior vice president of communications for the PGA Tour.
A federal subpoena that was revealed last week commanded the state Department of Commerce to provide a range of records about The Greenbrier, The Greenbrier Classic PGA event and Old White Charities, the nonprofit arm of the resort.
The subpoena in itself is not evidence of wrongdoing, but it does indicate an investigation by the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The subpoena references Gov. Jim Justice, whose family owns the resort and runs the golf tournament. It asks for records of any communication with people acting on behalf of the resort, the golf tournament or the charity.
The subpoena references two former directors of The Greenbrier Classic, Habibi Mamone and Tim McNeely.
The Greenbrier Classic has been played since 2010, a year after Justice took over the bankrupt resort. It is West Virginia’s only big professional sports event.
The Greenbrier Classic — renamed A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier — was moved this year from its usual Fourth of July week to a long fall weekend.
That change, which was announced last summer, was a result of financial strain.
Neal said the PGA Tour is still looking planning for the event this fall.
“While our full 2019-20 schedule has not been released yet, as to the 2019 A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier, it is scheduled to be played September 9-15, 2019, in the opening weeks of the PGA TOUR’s 2019-20 season and we look forward to another fantastic tournament,” she stated.
During a news conference this week, Governor Justice addressed a variety of questions surrounding the subpoena, the charity and the golf event.
The governor said he put millions of dollars of his own money into the tournament.
“The golf tournament’s probably cost Jim almost $70 million to have it in West Virginia,” Justice said. “$70 million to have it in West Virginia. The State of West Virginia has benefited beyond belief.”
Justice again noted that he called a halt to state sponsorships that had been more than a million dollars a year for the tournament once he was running for governor.
“I refused all of it,” Justice said. “At the end of the day, the golf tournaments has cost tens and tens and tens of millions of dollars more than we had in sponsorships or attendance or whatever. What are you going to do? Where is the money going to come from? It came from me?”
Old White Charities exists as a nonprofit because of the structure of the PGA Tour, which itself is a nonprofit. The golf organization’s nonprofit business model has been controversial over the years.
Old White Charities has struggled financially, particularly after the catastrophic flood of 2016 caused The Greenbrier Classic to be canceled.
On its most recently-available filing with the Internal Revenue Service, the nonprofit corporation lists net assets of negative $15,290,154.
The troubled financial situation has kept Old White Charities from contributing much to charity.
Its most recent filing lists a $40,000 grant to the West Virginia Golf Association, $10,000 to the Beckley Area Foundation and $4,000 to the First Tee of West Virginia.
Here are the questions MetroNews posed to the PGA Tour:
Has PGA Tour been made aware of any federal questions surrounding The Greenbrier Classic or Old White Charities?
Does the PGA Tour have concerns either about the event or its associated charity?
Is The Greenbrier Classic still on for a fall date as originally intended?
Old White Charities appears to be having significant financial challenges and does not appear to have fulfilled much of its charitable role over the past couple of years. Are there standards for charitable work associated with the PGA Tour, and is Old White Charities living up to those standards?
Are you aware of an offshoot of Old White Charities called Neighbors Loving Neighbors? Some past and present professional golfers appear to have given to that entity. Any concerns with it?