WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Hall of Fame golfer Phil Mickelson and 10 other players filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour on Wednesday, alleging that it broke antitrust law by refusing to let them participate on the tour and the new rival LIV Golf circuit, backed by Saudi Arabia.
The lawsuit was led by Mickelson and includes Bryson DeChambeau, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones, among others. They said that they were punished for playing in LIV tournaments.
“As part of its carefully orchestrated plan to defeat competition, the Tour has threatened lifetime bans on players who play in even a single LIV Golf event,” the golfers said in the complaint.
They asked the court to declare the punishments illegal and to award damages and attorneys fees.
In July, news broke that the U.S. Justice Department was investigating whether the PGA Tour broke antitrust law in fending off a challenge from the LIV Golf circuit.
The $255 million LIV series is being bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which critics say is a vehicle for the country to improve its image in the face of criticism of its human rights record.
The PGA Tour did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
