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PGA Tour responds to LIV lawsuit

Jay Monahan Jay Monahan - The Canadian Press
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The PGA Tour responded to the lawsuit launched against it by 11 players from LIV Golf on Wednesday, with Commissioner Jay Monahan issuing a letter to his membership saying the tour is prepared to fight back.

“We have been preparing to protect our membership and contest this latest attempt to disrupt our membership,” he wrote in the note sent out to PGA Tour players on Wednesday.

“Fundamentally, these suspended players — who are now Saudi Golf League employees — have walked away from the Tour and now want back in.”

The LIV players, which includes Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, put forth an antitrust lawsuit which challenges the suspensions given to them by the PGA Tour. In addition, three players – Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford – asked for a temporary restraining order that would allow them to compete in the FedEx Cup playoffs which begin next week. The three players qualified prior to leaving for the rival league.

The other golfers involved in the lawsuit are Ian Poulter, Abraham Ancer, Jason Kokrak, Carlos Ortiz, Pat Perez and Peter Uihlein.

In the lawsuit, it is alleged that the PGA Tour suspended Mickelson for trying to encourage other players to join the LIV league. It also alleges that although DeChambeau had signed with LIV Golf back in February, he was “forced to publicly profess loyalty to the PGA Tour.” The long-hitting golfer issued a statement on February 20th during the Genesis Invitational declaring that he would continue playing the PGA Tour.

Monahan has taken a strong stance against the new league since its formation, refusing invitations to talk with LIV CEO Greg Norman. He told his membership that the PGA Tour won’t back down at the latest chapter.

“It’s an attempt to use the tour platform to promote themselves and to freeride on your benefits and efforts,” he wrote in the memo. “To allow re-entry into our events compromises the tour and the competition, to the detriment of our organization, our players, our partners and our fans. The lawsuit they have filed somehow expects us to believe the opposite, which is why we intend to make our case clearly and vigorously.”

Monahan also deputized his players, inviting them to offer their opinions on the situation.

“I also encourage you to speak out publicly on this issue, if so inclined,” he stated.

The PGA Tour’s last regular-season event starts Thursday at the Wyndham Championship while LIV Golf plays its next event in Boston starting Sept. 2.