While the relationship between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour has certainly been shaky the past, it’s now about to get a lot more competitive as Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and nine other LIV golfers have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour challenging their suspensions.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Mickelson and the other golfers are suing the Tour in an attempt to challenge the suspensions they have been given following their decisions to participate in the LIV series. Last month, the PGA Tour suspended 17 players for their participation in LIV Golf, citing bylaws that prohibit members from appearing in other events without the permission of the commissioner.
The new lawsuit is challenging the legality of those bylaws, arguing that the PGA Tour is attempting to harm their careers.
“The Tour’s conduct serves no purpose other than to cause harm to players and foreclose the entry of the first meaningful competitive threat the Tour has faced in decades,” the golfers said in the lawsuit.
In addition to the lawsuit, three golfers – Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones – are also seeking temporary restraining orders that would allow them to participate in next week’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. All three players qualified for the event but were excluded due to their participation in LIV Golf.
Last month, three LIV Golf players won a similar injunction against DP World Tour, allowing them to play in Scottish Open.
In addition to Mickelson, DeChambeau, Gooch, Swafford, and Jones, the lawsuit also includes Ian Poulter, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Pat Perez, Jason Kokrak, and Peter Uihlein.
