A federal judge on Tuesday denied a temporary restraining order allowing the PGA Tour to limit access to the 2022 FedEx Cup playoffs by three Saudi-backed LIV Golf players who filed a lawsuit hoping to compete in the postseason. Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford will not play in any of the three tournaments as the PGA Tour’s request for waivers was granted by U.S. District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman.
“It appears to the court that the LIV contracts negotiated by the players and executed between the parties were based on the players’ calculation of what they would leave behind and the amount the players would have to cash in to compensate for those losses,” Judge Freeman said in your decision. “I agree with [the PGA Tour] that these losses were well known to players at the time and clearly monetized.”
Citing the LIV golfers’ failure to prove irreparable harm in their case, Judge Freeman added: “The evidence shows that it appears almost beyond doubt that they will earn more than they did and could reasonably expect to do within a reasonable time amount of time on the PGA.”
The ruling in a Northern District of California courtroom gives the PGA Tour its first clear victory over LIV Golf. The decision comes two days before kick-off at the 2022 St. Jude Championship to begin the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Gooch (No. 20), Jones (No. 65) and Swafford (No. 67) will not be able to take advantage of their respective positions in the FedEx Cup standings; all on the domestic circuit to play not only in this week’s event in Memphis, but also in next week’s BMW Championship, where the top 70 players qualify. Gooch was in a strong position to finish in the top 30, which would have put him into the Tour Championship, where exemptions are secured for next year’s Masters, US Open and The Open.
“With today’s news, our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters over the next three weeks: the world’s best players competing in the FedExCup Playoffs,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan in a statement.
A group of 10 LIV golfers, including Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau — originally 11 until Carlos Ortiz removed his name from the proceedings — filed an antitrust lawsuit in federal court last week in hopes of being allowed to play again on the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour insisted that golfers made a conscious decision to leave its membership when they chose to play for LIV. Therefore, those golfers were ineligible to participate in future PGA Tour events.
Judge Freeman agreed, citing the PGA Tour’s position that the golfers knew the consequences of their decision to play for LIV Golf.
“Despite knowing full well that they would be breaking tour rules and being suspended for doing so, the plaintiffs joined the rival golf league LIV Golf, which has paid them tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed money provided by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund , to secure their violations,” the PGA Tour’s proposal said. “[Temporary restraining order] the plaintiffs are now going to court seeking a mandatory injunction to force their way into the Tour’s season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs, an action that would harm all rule-abiding members of the Tour. Antitrust laws prevent plaintiffs from having their cake and eating it too.”
Although the PGA Tour won that ruling, the legal battle between the leagues is expected to continue as the broader antitrust lawsuit has yet to be resolved. The beginning of this legal saga dates back to June 9, when the PGA Tour suspended members who participated in the inaugural LIV Golf event in London. Some chose to forego their PGA Tour membership, while others sought to compete for the opportunity to play in both leagues.
“They made a business decision to get money,” PGA Tour attorney Elliott Peters said. “They’ve made — in the last two months — more money than they’ve ever made on the PGA Tour. They have already been paid to make up for what they are complaining about here.”
LIV Golf members will now turn their attention to Boston for the league’s next event, scheduled for September 2-4.
LIV Golfer’s will not be allowed to participate in the FedEx Cup playoffs following a court ruling on Tuesday. Rick Gehmann, Kyle Porter and Sia Nejad break it down. Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Add Comment