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LIV golfers, including the likes of Phil Mickelson, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, and Ian Poulter, pulled out of the high-profile antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.
Just days after this, the PGA Tour has now fired back against LIV Golf’s antitrust lawsuit and countersued the Saudi-backed series. The American circuit filed a lawsuit in US District Court on Wednesday night.
The new lawsuit filed by the PGA accuses LIV Golf of "unfair competition". The suit was filed to counter the Saudi-backed league’s suit, accusing it of being a "cynical effort to avoid competition." The new suit slams the controversial series and its players, accusing them of foul play.
PGA Tour's counterclaim to LIV Golf's lawsuit
The PGA Tour on Wednesday night filed a 72-page case in the Northern District of California's San Jose division. The American circuit filed the suit as a counterclaim to LIV Golf and its lawsuit.
The new suit accuses LIV Golf of being a "sportswashing" effort by the Saudi Arabian administration and slams former PGA Tour members for supporting it.
The PGA Tour claims that players like Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, who made the switch to LIV Golf, are being used to recruit fellow tour members. Shedding light on the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s Vision 2030 initiative, the tour accused LIV of attempting to destroy the sport of golf.
It is pertinent to note that 11 players involved with LIV Golf have filed an antitrust lawsuit in August against the PGA Tour. The suit claimed to "strike down the PGA Tour’s anticompetitive rules and practices" which disallowed players to play for the rebel league.
However, in response, the PGA has now accused LIV of being a business move by its controversial owners. The counterclaim, seeking a jury trial, stated that the rebel league forced the PGA members to violate the Tour’s regulations.
The countersuit filed by the PGA Tour on Wednesday read:
“LIV has executed a campaign to pay the LIV players astronomical sums of money to induce them to breach their contracts with the Tour in an effort to use LIV players and the game of golf to sportswash the recent history of Saudi atrocities.”
It further read:
“Golfers who join LIV must sign long-term exclusive contracts that require them to participate in all LIV events and prohibit them from playing in any tour events occurring in the same week as any LIV event [or any conflicting event whatsoever]. LIV’s statements regarding golfer freedom are a thinly veiled public relations ploy concocted to disparage the tour and deflect criticism from LIV’s own restrictive business model.”
With the countersuit, the PGA Tour has sought compensation for the "damages suffered as a result of LIV’s tortious interference" with their players. It claimed that the Saudi-backed league has caused profit losses, reputational damage, brand harm, attorneys’ fees, and pre-suit costs.
It is noteworthy that the countersuit to LIV’s antitrust lawsuit comes only days after some players pulled out of the case and let their employer take on the role of the lead plaintiff.
Withdrawing from the suit, Phil Mickelson, who has been the spearhead of the case, stated that his involvement didn’t seem "necessary" in the case anymore. A summary judgment in the antitrust case is expected to be made on July 23, 2023, and a trial of the same is expected to begin on January 8, 2024.
