PGA Tour says players knew consequences of joining LIV Golf

An appeal by three suspended players who joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf and now want to compete in the lucrative postseason of the PGA Tour has been denied by a federal judge in San Francisco, stating that the players were aware of the repercussions two months ago.

Separate from the ten players that launched an antitrust case against the PGA Tour, Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, and Hudson Swafford sought a temporary restraining order last week.

In order to have a chance at the $18 million prize money, the hearing will take place at 1 p.m. PDT on Tuesday in San Jose, California.

Players that finish in the top 70 in the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee will progress to the second postseason tournament in Wilmington, Delaware, which offers a $15 million reward.

Jones (No. 65), Swafford (No. 67) among nine players who have joined LIV Golf and finished the regular season in the top 125 in FedEx Cup standings are included in this group. The other six players that have joined LIV Golf have not requested to compete in the postseason of the circuit.

In a court filing Monday to oppose the temporary restraining order, the tour argued antitrust laws do not allow the three players “to have their cake and eat it, too.”

“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,” the tour said in its opposing motion.