PGA Tour files motion to exclude LIV players from Playoffs

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The 4 Aces celebrate winning the team prize at Bedminster (Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images)

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The PGA Tour has filed a motion to exclude LIV golfers from the end of season PGA Playoffs following a number of defectors filing a lawsuit against the PGA Tour.

The PGA Tour has responded to an anti-trust lawsuit initiated by 11 suspended players, declaring that the LIV players are “fabricating an emergency” as they look to have their cake and eat it too by swimming in the lucrative waters of both the PGA Tour and LIV.

Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson is said to be spearheading the LIV rebels lawsuit but just three players, Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford are said to be attempting to tee it up in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, no doubt motivated by the $75m end of season bonus pool.

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“The plaintiffs have waited nearly two months to seek relief from the court, fabricating an ’emergency’ they now maintain requires immediate action,” the PGA Tour statement read.

“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.

“TRO (temporary restraining order) plaintiffs now run into court seeking a mandatory injunction to force their way into the Tour’s season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs, an action that would harm all Tour members that follow the rules.

“The anti-trust laws do not allow plaintiffs to have their cake and eat it too.”

“In a telling sign, several other LIV players, including four other plaintiffs in this case, recognise there is no emergency or irreparable harm; they too have ‘qualified’ to play in the FedEx Cup but have not asked the court for the extraordinary relief sought through this motion.

The PGA Tour’s lead counsel Elliot Peters, added;

“The players’ participation in the LIV league is in violation of the PGA Tour’s (handbook).

“For enormous sums of cash supplied by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, plaintiffs wilfully breached their agreements with the PGA Tour. The players’ purported harm is entirely self-induced.”

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