SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Three LIV Golf Series players trying to claim berths in next week’s first PGA Tour playoff event will have a court hearing on Tuesday in California to consider their challenge.
United States District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman will hear arguments in San Jose as Americans Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford and Australian Matt Jones seek a temporary restraining order preventing the playoffs to start without them.
Gooch, Jones and Swafford were among 11 players from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series who filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the US PGA Tour on Wednesday painting the established tour as a monopoly trying to stifle the upstart group, which has lured away several big names and major winners with record contracts and prize money purses.
The PGA Tour has issued indefinite suspensions to all members and former members who have played in one of the three LIV Golf events contested so far.
Jones, Swafford and Gooch had secured FedEx Cup playoff berths before leaving for LIV Golf and want to play in the opening playoff event that starts next Thursday in Memphis.
While the anti-trust case figures to be a legal showdown that could last for years in the courts, the players would need relief quickly to be allowed to compete in the St Jude Championship, with a field comprised of the top 125 players on the PGA Tour’s season points list.
The top 70 would advance to the second week’s event with the top 30 playing in the season-ending Tour Championship at Atlanta.
