Eleven LIV golfers have filed an antitrust suit against the PGA Tour, while a lawsuit has revealed Phil Mickelson was suspended for two years. Other golfers were indefinitely suspended.
Eleven LIV golfers file antitrust suit against the PGA Tour
Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are among 11 LIV golfers to file an antitrust lawsuit on Wednesday against PGA Tour after they were suspended for joining LIV Golf.
Three of the golfers included in the lawsuit – Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, and Matt Jones – are seeking a temporary restraining order from a federal judge that would allow them to compete in the upcoming three FedEx Cup playoffs events, ESPN reported. The other golfers identified in the lawsuit are Carlos Ortiz, Ian Poulter, Peter Uihlein, Jason Kokrak, Pat Perez, and Abraham Ancer, according to a copy of the suit obtained by ESPN on Wednesday.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, and a hearing to consider the players' motion for a temporary restraining order is scheduled for Tuesday in San Jose, California.
"The punishment that would accrue to these players from not being able to play in the FedEx Cup Playoffs is substantial and irreparable," wrote the attorneys for the golfers in the lawsuit, "and a temporary restraining order is needed to prevent the irreparable harm that would ensue were they not to be able to participate."
Last month, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into whether the PGA Tour had engaged in anticompetitive behavior by the manner in which it handled its players amid its ongoing battle with LIV Golf.
Lawsuit reveals Mickelson was suspended for two years by PGA, other golfers were suspended indefinitely
As part of the disclosure in the lawsuit filed by 11 LIV Golf players on Wednesday, it was revealed that Hall of Fame golfer Phil Mickelson, 52, was suspended by the PGA Tour for two years.
Because Mickelson has win at least 20 times and has been a member for a minimum of fifteen years, he should have been a lifetime member of the tour. He was originally suspended by commissioner Jay Monahan on March 22 for a period of two months due to his recruitment of PGA Tour players to compete in LIV Golf events, Sports Illustrated reported.
Mickelson applied for reinstatement on June 20 but was denied. After he competed in the first LIV event in London, his suspension was extended until March 31, 2023. Then when he played in the Portland LIV event, the PGA extended his suspension again until March 31. 2024, effectively a two-year ban.
Three players – Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford – received indefinite suspensions from the PGA Tour.