PGA Tour Delivers a Cold Response to Phil Mickelson and Others, Over LIV Golf Controversy

It has been only a couple of days since 11 LIV Golf players filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. And the American golf organization has already sent a 32-page response to the U.S. District Court of Northern California! 

The Tour suspended its players from attending any Tour-sanctioned events for joining the Saudi-backed golf league. And the players, including Phil Mickelson, filed the lawsuit hoping the court would annul the order and help them play again on the PGA Tour. 

Notably, three of the said players have filed a lawsuit to be able to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs that begins next week. Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, and Matt Jones were qualified to attend the Playoffs before they joined LIV Golf. And they have asked to lift their ban so they can play, in the complaint. 

The court is scheduled on Tuesday to evaluate the case of players who want to attend the Playoffs. Before the court would consider the case, the Tour had sent its response to the complaints. And it is not something the LIV players would have hoped for. 

PGA Tour is not going to allow the LIV players to win the case easily

“Despite knowing full well that they would breach Tour Regulations and be suspended for doing so, plaintiffs have joined competing golf league LIV Golf,” the response read. The Tour’s response also covers how much the Saudi Arabian government-funded company has paid the players millions to join them. 

Read More: A $54M Prize is Up For Grabs at LIV Golf Invitational Series

According to the American golf organization, the LIV players are harming the players who follow Tour’s rules religiously by filing a lawsuit. “The antitrust laws do not allow Plaintiffs to have their cake and eat it too,” the response further read. 

How much does LIV Golf pay its golfers? 

The LIV Golf Invitational Series offers the highest purse, $225 million total purse, in the history of golf. The total money is distributed among the 8 events in the Series. $25 million each for the first seven events and $50 million for the last group event. 

Additionally, the league sponsors have paid players more than $100 million as guaranteed money. This includes top players like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau. Notably, Forbes has named seven of them in its ‘top 10 highest-paid golfers in 2022′ list. 

There is only a day left to know the decision of the U. S. District Court of Northern California. Nevertheless, who do you think will win the case tomorrow? 

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