Playing in Saudi LIV golf tournament bars you from the PGA - US judge
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US District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman rules that golf players that play with the Saudi LIV Golf will not be allowed to play in PGA Tour's post-season.
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Saudi-backed LIV Tour
The three golfers, Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, and Hudson Swafford, who joined the Saudi-backed LIV Tour have been banned from competing in the PGA Tour's post-season based on a ruling from the California federal judge.
In her decision, US District Court Judge, Beth Labson Freeman, stated that as a result of the golfers' promise of large sums of money by joining LIV Golf, she did not believe they were in danger of irreparable harm. Freeman stated that some of the greatest stars from the PGA Tour were lured to the LIV Golf tour with the help of huge signing incentives and increased payouts.
This is the latest decision in the legal dispute between LIV Golf, a Saudi-led rival, and the PGA. The PGA Tour suspended golfers who joined the competing circuit because the tour bylaws prohibit members from participating in other events without the commissioner's permission, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
Read more: The Washington Post: PGA golfers who play in Saudi Arabia accept blood money
In a letter, which was published by AP, the three golfers' lawyer, Robert Walters, requested a restraining order against the PGA. The letter read that the players are "free agent[s] and independent contractor[s]," adding that "players lose intangible benefits" if they are barred from playing in PGA Tour's postseason.
For example, if the players cannot compete in the postseason, then they will miss qualifications for majors by not competing in the FedEx Cup playoff, starting on Thursday.
The letter added that the FedEx cup "is the holy grail because everybody wants to compete in and prevail in major championships, but it’s not just the majors," Walters said.
In a statement of its own, LIV Golf said that "We're disappointed that Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, and Matt Jones won’t be allowed to play golf. No one gains by banning golfers from playing."
On the contrary, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement “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."
Furthermore, Elliot Peters, lead counsel for the PGA Tour in this dispute, said in a statement "For enormous sums of cash supplied by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, plaintiffs willfully breached their agreements with the PGA Tour," adding that "The players’ purported harm is entirely self-induced. We will litigate this case vigorously to preserve the reputation of the PGA Tour and protect the benefits it offers to players."
