LIV Golf

Rory McIlroy celebrated a court ruling that will prevent players who made the jump to LIV Golf from taking part in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs.

"From my vantage point, common sense prevailed, and I thought it was the right decision," McIlroy told reporters Wednesday. "Now that that has happened, I think it just lets us focus on the important stuff, which is golf. We can all move forward and not have that sideshow going on for the next few weeks, which is nice."

Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford sought a temporary restraining order against the PGA Tour's ban on LIV players to make them eligible for the playoffs. A U.S. District Court in California denied that request Tuesday.

McIlroy has been an outspoken critic of players trying to accept the lucrative guaranteed contracts from LIV without relinquishing their right to play on the PGA Tour.

The four-time major champion reiterated that stance ahead of the playoffs:

Guys are going to make their own decisions that they feel is best for them, and that's totally fine. Again, I don't begrudge anyone for going over to play LIV or taking guaranteed money. If that's your prerogative and what you want to do, totally fine. I think where the resentment comes from, from the membership of this tour, is the fact that they want to try to get their way back in here with no consequences, and anyone that's read the PGA Tour handbook or abided by the rules and regulations, that would feel very unfair to them.

Justin Thomas, another one of the Tour's top players, expressed a similar sentiment:

It was personal to me from the beginning. It's kind of like I said from the start. Those guys were given an opportunity to go play and just go play. You can have your cake, but you don't need to eat it, too. And they got their fair share of a large, large amount of cake, and go eat it on your own means. You don't need to bring it onto our tour.

Although Tuesday's court ruling upheld the Tour's decision for the first playoff event, the court battle between the sides is far from over.

Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau headlined a group of 11 LIV players who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Tour last week, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach.

"The Tour's conduct serves no purpose other than to cause harm to players and foreclose the entry of the first meaningful competitive threat the Tour has faced in decades," the lawsuit states.

In addition, the U.S. Justice Department opened an investigation last month into whether the Tour violated any antitrust regulations with its actions toward LIV players.

While McIlroy was pleased with the initial ruling, he understands it's not a final ruling.

"It's like there's such a long way to go," he said. "It's like you birdied the first hole, but you've still got 17 holes to go."

The PGA Tour playoffs get underway Thursday with the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Tennessee.

Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones will not participate in the FedEx Cup playoffs after all.

Ryan Lavner of Golf Channel reported Tuesday that a federal judge denied a potential temporary restraining order that would have allowed the three golfers who joined the LIV Invitational Series to compete in the PGA Tour's playoff system even though they are suspended for joining the Saudi Arabian-backed rival.

Rex Hoggard of Golf Channel provided more context:

Judge rules request for TRO was "timely," but ruled that plaintiffs (LIV players) didn't establish "harm" and (only for TRO) that the Tour's application of its own regulations "not unreasonable." Deny TRO.

— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) August 9, 2022

In making the decision, the judge said the players were aware of the opportunities they would lose on the PGA Tour should they choose to join LIV, per Kyle Porter of CBS Sports.

PGA Tour attorney Elliot Peters argued ahead of the decision that the trio "made a business decision to receive money," per Sean Zak of Golf Magazine. "They have made in the last two months more money than they've ever made on the PGA Tour."

Arguing Gooch, Swafford and Jones made so much money playing for LIV was notable because it cut into the idea the PGA Tour is a monopoly.

Gooch, Swafford and Jones were among the 11 LIV golfers who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour that challenged the tour's ability to suspend them for participating in the rival events. Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Ian Poulter, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Pat Perez, Jason Kokrak and Peter Uihlein were the other golfers who joined them in the lawsuit.

Part of that lawsuit was an effort by Gooch, Swafford and Jones to land the temporary restraining order to play in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs since they accumulated enough points during the season to qualify for the 125-player field.

"As part of that suit, Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford are seeking a temporary restraining order to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs, despite knowing they would be ineligible for tournament play as early as June, and of course, the year's worth of communication in advance of their decision to join the Saudi Golf League," PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo to players:

Memo from PGA Tour commissioner to players in response to antitrust lawsuit that was filed Wednesday in California. pic.twitter.com/T0UR9FMoud

— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) August 3, 2022

That was not the only response from the PGA Tour, as Mark Schlabach of ESPN reported it filed a motion asking a federal judge to deny the temporary restraining order.

Attorneys representing the PGA Tour called the attempt to obtain the restraining order "legally baseless," while the motion argued they were attempting to "have their cake and eat it too":

"Despite knowing full well that they would breach TOUR Regulations and be suspended for doing so, Plaintiffs have joined competing golf league LIV Golf, which has paid them tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed money supplied by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund to procure their breaches. [Temporary restraining order] Plaintiffs now run into Court seeking a mandatory injunction to force their way into the TOUR's season-ending FedExCup Playoffs, an action that would harm all TOUR members that follow the rules. The antitrust laws do not allow Plaintiffs to have their cake and eat it too."

This means the FedEx Cup playoffs will go on without the LIV trio in a format that features three events that progressively cut the field from 125 to 70 and then to 30 while ending at the TOUR Championship.

The first event is the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which starts Thursday.

The FedEx Cup champion receives an $18 million prize.

Cameron Smith is reportedly the latest to join LIV Golf after signing a $100 million deal with the organization, according to Tom Morgan of the Telegraph.

The 28-year-old is coming off a win at The Open, finishing 20 strokes under par to outduel Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy.

After winning his first major title, TMZ Sports reported Smith was "nearing a deal" with LIV Golf. There was still uncertainty after the golfer dodged questioning about the move in July.

"I just won the British Open, and you're asking about that?" Smith told reporters. "I think that's pretty not that good. ... I don't know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff. I’m here to win golf tournaments."

Smith issued another statement when asked about the deal Tuesday, per Jason Sobel of The Action Network:

Cameron Smith on the report that he’s already signed with LIV Golf and will start playing there next month: “My goal here is to win the FedEx Cup playoffs. That’s all I’m here for. I have no comment on that.”

— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelGolf) August 9, 2022

It's now clear he will follow in the path of other high-profile golfers to join the Saudi Arabia-backed league, including Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson.

The major difference for Smith is he was in the midst of a breakout season, currently ranked No. 2 in the world behind Scottie Scheffler. Other big names had fallen out of the top 10, or in the case of Mickelson, out of the top 100.

Smith, meanwhile, had three victories this season and was second in the FedEx Cup standings heading into the start of the playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

The PGA Tour already filed a motion to keep out the other three LIV Golf players who qualified for the FedEx Cup playoffs: Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford. Smith's status for the upcoming tournament that begins Thursday could also be in question.

The money from LIV Golf is still likely difficult to turn down. In addition to the nine-figure reported sum for Smith up front, the circuit will have $405 million in total prizes in 2023.

Smith has earned about $26.8 million through the PGA Tour, while the winner of the Tour Championship this year will take home $18 million.

Deane Beman, who spent 20 years as the PGA Tour commissioner beginning in 1974, questioned whether the founders of LIV Golf actually care about the sport.

LIV is financially backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which has allowed the new series to hand out lucrative guaranteed contracts to get players to make the jump from the PGA Tour.

The 84-year-old told Adam Schupak of Golfweek on Monday he doesn't believe it's "good for the game of golf:"

Overall, I don't think the people putting up the money give a damn about the game of golf. They are trying to use what we built over decades, what I think is the most courageous and responsible sport that there is and that has integrity and respect for the rules and respect for the game and respect for competition, I don't think the people putting up the money give a damn about any of that. They are putting up money for their own personal benefit.

As for the players who've accepted the offers, Beman named Sergio Garcia as an example of an older golfer who's "grabbing the money and going" because they're on the back nine of their career, and he's somewhat understanding of that approach.

He's less sure in regards to those still in a position to consistently compete for titles:

There are certain players that have gone over there that I think have made a mistake for their career but maybe they don't care as much as I thought they did about what it stands for and what it means to be a champion golfer. A lot of them are just thinking about the money. If you're just worried about money, there are a helluva lot of easier ways to get a lot of money than to play golf, I can tell you that. They should've thought about that a long time ago.

As a whole, Beman described LIV Golf as a "money grab" and said the only positive of the rival tour is "demasking the integrity of some individuals."

"Their real stripes are showing," he said. "Some of the people who have benefited enormously from what the Tour has put together are fully disclosing their integrity."

A series of lawsuits have been filed against the PGA Tour's decision to ban players who compete in LIV from their events.

Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau headlined a group of 11 LIV players who filed an antitrust lawsuit last week.

In addition, three golfers—Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford—are seeking a temporary restraining order that would make them eligible for the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, which are in their second round this weekend at the St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee.

Beman described those efforts as "trying to have their cake and eat it too."

Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford accumulated enough points during the season to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, but the PGA Tour then suspended them for competing on the rival LIV Golf Invitational Series.

While that left them unable to participate in the playoffs, which start with this week's FedEx St. Jude Championship, the trio is seeking relief from a federal judge to compete.

In response, the PGA Tour filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Monday, saying the injunction request is "legally baseless" and asking a federal judge to deny a temporary restraining order that could let them play, per Mark Schlabach of ESPN.

The motion argued the players knew the consequences of their decision to join LIV Golf and are now trying to "have their cake and eat it too" with this effort:

"Despite knowing full well that they would breach TOUR Regulations and be suspended for doing so, Plaintiffs have joined competing golf league LIV Golf, which has paid them tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed money supplied by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund to procure their breaches. [Temporary restraining order] Plaintiffs now run into Court seeking a mandatory injunction to force their way into the TOUR's season-ending FedExCup Playoffs, an action that would harm all TOUR members that follow the rules. The antitrust laws do not allow Plaintiffs to have their cake and eat it too."

On the other side, attorneys for the three golfers said in a lawsuit, "The punishment that would accrue to these players from not being able to play in the FedEx Cup Playoffs is substantial and irreparable, and a temporary restraining order is needed to prevent the irreparable harm that would ensue were they not to be able to participate."

The hearing to consider the request for a temporary restraining order is Tuesday.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs feature the top 125 golfers in that season's standings who then participate in three events that progressively cut the fields from 125 to 70 and then to 30. The finale is the TOUR Championship, and the players compete for a total bonus pool of $75 million and an $18 million prize that goes to the FedExCup Champion.

Gooch, Jones and Swafford were among the 11 golfers who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. The lawsuit challenged suspensions from the PGA Tour that were handed down for competing in the LIV circuit, and the trio's attempt to land the temporary restraining order to compete in the playoffs was part of the overall effort.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan responded to the lawsuit with a memo to players saying the LIV golfers attempted to "use the TOUR platform to promote themselves and to freeride on your benefits and efforts."

Memo from PGA Tour commissioner to players in response to antitrust lawsuit that was filed Wednesday in California. pic.twitter.com/T0UR9FMoud

— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) August 3, 2022

LIV Golf is financially backed by the Saudi Arabian government in an arrangement that has drawn plenty of criticism. Included in that criticism are claims the Saudi Arabian government is attempting to sportswash its human rights violations.

Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and nine other LIV Golf Invitational Series players filed suit Wednesday against the PGA Tour after they were suspended for joining the Saudi Arabia-backed league.

On Friday, Golf Magazine's Dylan Dethier reported about text messages between 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman.

Interesting to see how insistent Norman was (in these texts with Sergio) that the PGA Tour wouldn't and couldn't suspend players.

"They cannot ban you for one day let alone life." pic.twitter.com/foSDSIOg2L

— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) August 5, 2022

Garcia, who was announced as one of the many LIV Golf players in May, texted Norman on Feb. 11 with concerns about joining the breakaway circuit because of potential punishment from the PGA Tour.

The Spaniard said in a message that it seemed "like a lot of those guys that were loving [LIV Golf] and excited about it last week, now are [s--tting] in their pants."

Norman asked Garcia who was nervous, and the 42-year-old responded that he believed the PGA Tour had reached out to younger players "and scared them a bit and because they are young, I think it worked."

Six days later, Garcia texted Norman: "Hi Sharky! It's official, the Tour has told our managers this week that whoever signs with the League, is ban from the Tour for life! I don't know how are we gonna get enough good players to join the League under this conditions. What do you think?"

Norman responded that the PGA Tour could not ban players "for one day let alone life."

"It is a shallow threat," Norman wrote. "Ask them to put it in writing to you or any player. I bet they don't. Happy for anyone to speak with our legal team to better understand they have no chance of enforcing."

On June 9, Commissioner Jay Monahan suspended 17 players, including Garcia, from competing in the PGA Tour after they began play in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series event at the Centurion Club in London.

Eleven players filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour on Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to challenge the bans and other restrictions.

The lawsuit alleges the PGA Tour engaged in "anticompetitive behavior" to control its hold on professional golf and that it "ventured to harm" the players' careers.

Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones are also seeking a temporary restraining order so they can compete in the FedEx Cup playoffs, which begin next week in Memphis, Tennessee.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether the PGA Tour engaged in anticompetitive behavior.

Augusta National representatives allegedly threatened to disinvite LIV Golf players from this year's Masters if they left the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed league, according to a lawsuit filed by Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and nine others looking to obtain a temporary restraining order to compete in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs.

The lawsuit reads, per Golfweek's Adam Schupak:

“Augusta National, the promoter of The Masters, has taken multiple actions to indicate its alignment with the PGA Tour, thus seeding doubt among top professional golfers whether they would be banned from future Masters Tournaments. As an initial matter, the links between the PGA Tour and Augusta National run deep. The actions by Augusta National indicate that the PGA Tour has used these channels to pressure Augusta National to do its bidding. For example, in February, 2022 Augusta National representatives threatened to disinvite players from The Masters if they joined LIV Golf.”

The lawsuit also alleges that Augusta National officials were asked by the PGA Tour to attend a player advisory council meeting in May to discuss consequences for players that joined the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

According to the lawsuit, officials didn't attend the meeting but did tell players that the PGA Tour and Augusta National agreed to work together in response to LIV Golf.

It also accuses Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley of working against the Saudi-backed league. He allegedly told players that participated in the 2022 Masters to not play in the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

"Plainly, these threats to top players served no beneficial purpose, as they would only serve to weaken the field in the Masters," the lawsuit said.

In addition, Ridley also declined to meet with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman to "understand the new circuit's business model," per ESPN's Mark Schlabach.

Mickelson, DeChambeau and nine others filed their lawsuit against the PGA Tour on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court of Northern California.

They requested that Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones be given temporary restraining orders in order to compete in the FedEx Cup playoffs, which begin next week in Memphis, Tennessee.

"The punishment that would accrue to these players from not being able to play in the FedEx Cup Playoffs is substantial and irreparable," the golfers' attorneys wrote in the lawsuit, per Schlabach, "and a temporary restraining order is needed to prevent the irreparable harm that would ensue were they not to be able to participate."

Players who have joined the LIV Golf Invitational Series are facing significant suspensions from the PGA Tour. According to the lawsuit, players who appeared in the Saudi-backed league's first three tournaments are facing two-year suspensions through March 2024.

The U.S. Department of Justice has since opened an investigation into the PGA Tour's treatment of players and whether or not it has engaged in "anticompetitive behavior" amid its feud with LIV Golf, per ESPN.

The LIV Golf International Series has generated significant controversy since it launched, but John Daly has no problem admitting he wants to play for the circuit.

During an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored (h/t Todd Kelly of GolfWeek), Daly said he "begged" Greg Norman to let him join the LIV tour.

The outspoken Daly wasn't shy about acknowledging he wants to jump ship because of the money being offered to players.

"I play two to three pro-ams every week on the Champions Tour and we don't play for a lot of money on the Champions Tour, so I almost feel like, 'OK, I'm not getting a lot out of this. What are we doing,'" he told Morgan.

Daly noted Norman, who is CEO of LIV Golf Investments, told him the new circuit is not looking to add more players.

Some of the money that has been given or offered by LIV to players who made their name on the PGA Tour is mind-boggling. Norman said earlier this week on Tucker Carlson Tonight (h/t ESPN's Mark Schlabach) that Tiger Woods turned down an offer in the "neighborhood" of $700-800 million to join the new series.

Per Daniel Rapaport of Golf Digest, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson signed for a combined total between $400-500 million.

LIV Golf is financed by the Saudi Arabia public investment fund. The Saudi Arabian government has been accused in recent years of sportswashing as an attempt to use sports and popular athletes to help improve its reputation around the world amid many accusations of wide-ranging human-rights abuses.

Daly, 56, is currently a member of the Champions Tour. He has been affiliated with the PGA Tour since 1987. The Arkansas native has 19 career professional wins, including five on the PGA Tour. He most recently competed in the Open Championship last month, missing the cut after finishing three-over par through 36 holes.

Where is Bryson DeChambeau getting his pizza?

In an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson (via David Scott of the New York Post), DeChambeau attempted to use a metaphor for the dynamic between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour:

"It's so weird, because it’s like — let's use this as a reference. I heard this earlier this week. You have a pizza shop that's been in existence for 50 years. And all the customers go to it and it's a great product. All of a sudden, a new pizza shop opens up, right? And they start paying the customers to come eat at their place, and that pizza is potentially a little bit better of a pizza, right? And then, all of a sudden, that original pizza house goes, if you go over there, we're banning you from ever coming back to our pizza shop. What's wrong with that economic model?"

In this comparison, is the new rival pizza shop also financed by the sovereign wealth fund of a government regime accused of human rights abuses? Because that might cause a stir in the neighborhood, too.

Golfers who have signed with the LIV tour have been suspended from playing PGA Tour events, although this doesn't include men's golf's four majors, which aren't overseen by the Tour.

DeChambeau and his LIV Golf peers aren't taking their PGA Tour suspensions lying down, though. He and 10 others filed an antitrust suit against the tour on Wednesday.

The suit discloses that DeChambeau was suspended for "talking to other tour members about the positive experience he had had with LIV Golf." His suspension runs through March 2023.

Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are among the 11 golfers on the LIV Golf Circuit who reportedly filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour on Wednesday, per Louise Radnofsky and Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal.

Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, Matt Jones, Ian Poulter, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Pat Perez, Jason Kokrak and Peter Uihlein were the other golfers attached to the lawsuit.

The golfers on the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit are challenging the PGA Tour's decision to suspend them for participating in LIV events.

"The Tour's conduct serves no purpose other than to cause harm to players and foreclose the entry of the first meaningful competitive threat the Tour has faced in decades," the motion says.

As part of the lawsuit, Gooch, Swafford and Jones are looking for a temporary restraining order that would allow them to play in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs. They each accumulated enough points to qualify for the 125-player field prior to joining LIV, but the PGA Tour said they cannot compete.

The PGA Tour will allow players from outside the top 125 in the rankings to compete and take the place of those associated with LIV.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan responded to the lawsuit:

Memo from PGA Tour commissioner to players in response to antitrust lawsuit that was filed Wednesday in California. pic.twitter.com/T0UR9FMoud

— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) August 3, 2022

Radnofsky and Beaton noted the new lawsuit also illuminates some details on Mickelson's status with the PGA Tour. Lefty is arguably the face of LIV Golf at this point and, according to the suit, was suspended in March for allegedly recruiting players. The PGA Tour denied his application for reinstatement and said he cannot reapply until March 2024 after playing in multiple LIV events.

This is not the only legal issue the PGA Tour is facing, as Radnofsky and Beaton previously reported the Justice Department is investigating it for anticompetitive behavior. However, the PGA Tour has also received some bipartisan support from lawmakers on Capitol Hill given LIV's financial backers.

"We welcome good, healthy competition," Monahan said. "The LIV Saudi Golf League is not that. It's an irrational threat; one not concerned with the return on investment or true growth of the game.

"If this is an arms race and if the only weapons here are dollar bills, the PGA Tour can't compete. The PGA Tour, an American institution, can't compete with a foreign monarchy that is spending billions of dollars in an attempt to buy the game of golf."

This comes after LIV Golf announced it will expand its schedule to 14 tournaments for $405 million in purses next year (h/t ESPN's Mark Schlabach).

It debuted this year with eight tournaments and $255 million in purses.

LIV Golf has received plenty of criticism because of the financial backing of the Saudi Arabian government, which has been accused of attempting to sportswash its human rights violations.