Enlarge image
He is leading the lawsuit: US star Phil Mickelson
Photo:
Seth Little / dpa
Eleven golf pros led by US star player Phil Mickelson have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.
The group wants to defend itself in court in San Francisco, among other things, against the bans imposed by the organization because of the participation of the accusers in the new golf series LIV.
"The tour has threatened players who participate in even a single LIV golf event with lifetime bans," says the statement of claim, from which ESPN quotes.
The pros received "unprecedented" penalties that "cause irreparable damage to the players."
The PGA Tour has also urged sponsors and agents to prevent players from competing at LIV events.
Additionally, three golfers -- Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones -- are seeking an injunction from a federal judge that would allow them to play in the upcoming major tournament FedEx Cup playoffs.
According to the current status, they are excluded.
The attorneys argue in the lawsuit, which is being dealt with in the US District Court of Northern California, that a ban would also prevent the trio from earning points for the world rankings.
In addition to Mickelson, Gooch, Swafford and Jones, plaintiffs include Bryson DeChambeau, Carlos Ortiz, Ian Poulter, Peter Uihlein, Jason Kokrak, Pat Perez and Abraham Ancer.
PGA Tour thinks it's right
PGA boss Jay Monahan believes bans are legal
The 52-year-old said this in a memo to the players, which is available on The Golf Channel TV station.
"We have prepared to contest this recent attempt to disrupt our tour," Monahan said.
You can trust the legal position.
The new golf series has been under criticism for months.
There are allegations that Saudi Arabia is “sportwashing” golfers – that is, trying to polish its international image with sport and trying to distract from the human rights violations in its own country.
Last weekend, the tour stopped at a golf course owned by former US President Donald Trump, who obviously couldn't see anything reprehensible in Saudi Arabia's involvement in golf.
The PGA Tour has banned the LIV starters from their events.
The new series has numerous top players under contract thanks to its financial strength, which can be traced back to Saudi funds.
Among them was the former German world number one, Martin Kaymer.
Most recently, two-time major winner Bubba Watson defected.
kjo/dpa