The first of many legal battles between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf officially took place on Tuesday.
Judge Beth Labson Freeman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford after they sought to sue their way into the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. Last week, the trio filed for a temporary restraining order as part of a larger antitrust lawsuit against the Tour.
The three golfers argued they should be allowed to compete in the playoffs because it would cause them irreparable financial harm, seeing as they had already earned a qualifying spot before they were suspended for playing in a LIV Golf event. Freeman, however, ruled in the Tour’s favor.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan sent a memo to players following the decision. LIV Golf also released a statement Tuesday afternoon.
Report: Player drops name from lawsuit against PGA Tour
“With today’s news, our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters over the next three weeks: the best players in the world competing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, capping off an incredibly compelling season with the crowning of the FedEx Cup champion at the Tour Championship,” Monahan said in part.
Full memo:
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has sent the following memo to Tour players, informing them “three Saudi Arabia-financed LIV Golf players” had been denied their restraining order and that “players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters.” pic.twitter.com/9sP7dbODUk
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) August 9, 2022
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