MONTREAL — Phil Mickelson, a leading PGA golfer who defected to rival LIV Tour, and three other athletes have asked a federal judge to remove their names from the antimonopoly lawsuit filed against the U.S. Tour.
Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Ian Poulter filed separate requests to have their names removed as well. There are only three golfers left who are chasing the PGA: Bryson DeChambeau, Peter Uihlein and Matt Jones. The Saudi-backed Circuit LIV is also listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, which was filed in August.
However, the trial is not due to begin before January 2024.
Mickelson’s decision comes as no surprise. He told SI.com two weeks ago that he no longer needed to be involved in the lawsuit now that Circuit LIV had joined the group of plaintiffs.
Mickelson added that the only reason he could have remained as a plaintiff is to obtain damages, “which (he) doesn’t need”. He still believes that golfers should be able to choose where and when they play, which will be accomplished “if and when LIV wins the chase.”
The Saudi Tour has already suffered its first setback in court when Federal District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman rejected the imposition of an injunction that would have allowed LIV golfers to participate in the lucrative PGA Playoffs.
The LIV Tour features 12 of the top 50 golfers in the world rankings. However, his golfers do not receive any world ranking points since his request for certification has not yet been studied by the organization governing this ranking. the process can take up to a year and should be completed next summer.
