On Wednesday, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and nine other professional golfers filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan has since issued a memo in response.
“Fundamentally, these suspended players — who are now Saudi Golf League employees — have walked away from the Tour and now want back in. With the Saudi Golf League on hiatus, they’re trying to use lawyers to force their way into competition alongside our members in good standing,” Monahan wrote.
“This is your Tour, built on the foundation that we work together for the good and growth of the organization…and then you reap the rewards. It seems your former colleagues have forgotten one important aspect of that equation.”
LIV players’ lawsuit
The lawsuit was filed by Abraham Ancer, Bryson DeChambeau, Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, Jason Kokrak, Phil Mickelson, Carlos Ortiz, Pat Perez, Ian Poulter, Hudson Swafford, and Peter Uihlein.
They insisted the PGA’s decision to suspend its players for participating in LIV events was unfair.
Mickelson was suspended on March 22 for allegedly attempting to entice other players to join the LIV league. He will not be reinstated until 2024.
The other players were suspended for similar reasons. They will face additional penalties if they participate in another LIV event.
The players also claimed that after signing with LIV Golf in February, DeChambeau was “forced to publicly profess loyalty to the PGA Tour.”
After the lawsuit was filed on Wednesday, previous comments made by Justin Thomas resurfaced on social media.
“They’re suing me. They’re suing Rory [McIlroy]. They’re suing Tiger [Woods],” Thomas said on his June 29 appearance on the No Laying Up podcast when asked if there would be a potential lawsuit from LIV golfers.
“They’re suing every single one of us that they’ve looked in the face, looked in the eyes and played rounds of golf with, played on [Ryder or President] Cup teams with, shared moments with. They’re suing us.”
Thomas has yet to respond to Wednesday’s lawsuit. Other PGA Tour players have also remained silent.
Exactly a month after this tweet, according to a lawsuit filed by Mickelson and other LIV players against the PGA Tour, Mickelson was suspended by the Tour for recruiting players to LIV https://t.co/AhIXvPHcOg
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) August 3, 2022
PGA Tour’s monopoly
The PGA Tour regards itself as “the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers,” distinguishing it from other American-based leagues like the NFL or the NBA.
Every year, the PGA demands its members to sign a membership renewal form. Part of that agreement gives each player media rights and the ability to compete in golf tournaments at the prerogative of the PGA Tour.
Monahan argued that operating a monopoly was not illegal. He referred to players as “business partners” in his memo. According to a source familiar with the case, the term will be crucial if the case goes to court.
The PGA Tour claimed golfing professionally outside the PGA would lower the financial value of its media partners and sponsors.
LIV, on the other hand, does not see the competition in such an antagonistic view. The league has expressed publicly its eagerness to collaborate with the PGA Tour.
“We’re very much open to any conversations with the PGA Tour around what the future would look like,” LIV Golf COO and president Atul Khosla said. “We feel like there is space for both products in the golf ecosystem”
“We’re not looking to host events that are against marquee PGA events, definitely not against any of the majors. We’re looking forward to working within that ecosystem jointly with them. Very much open to trying to build that relationship and figuring out how that could work down the road.” Khosla continued.